The Ties that Bind Us
by Vampire's Phoenix
Summary: X-Over with HTLJ. Sauron's defeated, but in another world an ancient evil is far from gone and two of its heroes find themselves cursed. To make things worse, they aren't in familiar territory anymore. I own nothing!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

In the aftermath of Dahak's defeat the whole of Greece celebrated his demise. With the spell the demon had wrought over then gone the people were able to pick their lives back up and rebuild the destruction and debris left by Dahak. The armies of the demon had been defeated, brought back by the love of their kinsmen from the dark spell it had wrought over them. Stories were told and songs were sung of the heroic trials of Hercules, the Son of Zeus who had bested the demon and sent him back to his realm of darkness. Songs were also sung of the brave mortal warrior who had been the worst victim of Dahak's evil. Throughout Greece the story spread of the hero Iolaus, whose body Dahak had usurped and whose soul was saved from eternal darkness.

But while the people of Greece celebrated, others mourned their loss. The few that knew the truth of the outcome, close friends and family who had witnessed the ferocious battle for Iolaus' soul and the struggle of the demigod against Dahak. No one could have foreseen what had happened. The situation itself had been bad enough. With Iolaus' body being used, defiled by the foul beast, his soul had remained a wandering spirit, while Dahak had used his body in his attempt to destroy Greece.

Then a miracle had occurred. The demon had been beaten and Iolaus had been returned to the world of life. Through the love and open hearts of Iolaus' many friends and family Dahak had been sent back to his own realm and Iolaus' soul had been returned to its rightful place. The gods had given back Iolaus' life, Dahak was gone, the Horsemen defeated and all was well.

Then all had gone to Tartarus.

No one was sure of what had happened. After just a few short days of their victory it had become clear that Dahak had had the last laugh.

Upon Olympus Zeus sat despondent upon his throne. Even Olympus seemed to mourn this horrible turn of events. Zeus rose from his throne and teleported himself from Olympus' great hall to a chamber in the most protected area of the home of the gods. He stood just beyond the perimeter of a barrier that had been erected by himself and just about every major god on Olympus. Even with such a strong barrier, Zeus could feel the power waning. Not even they could fight the dark powers of Dahak for very long.

Zeus cursed himself. He should have known better that a being like Dahak couldn't be defeated so easily. True, the demon had been pushed back into his realm but that did not mean that his influence had gone. Dahak was darkness, and darkness existed within the hearts of mortals and even gods themselves. A being like Dahak could not be destroyed utterly as they had assumed and the demon had used their ignorance to his advantage. He had shown them how ignorant they were, how even the gods had known so little of the true fabric of things.

They had been blinded, so sure of themselves and their superiority. Now they were paying the price.

For a long time, Zeus' gaze lingered on the two figures suspended in the barrier. On identical twin altars they slept, the magic of the gods halting time within the barrier. Nothing affected them, not outside or inside afflictions. But it would not last long. Dahak's power was not something the gods neither understood nor could hope to fight. It had come upon them so quickly that is was pure luck that they had caught this in time to halt it temporarily. But they were running out of time and soon it would be too late.

Zeus stared into the barrier, watching his son and his mortal best friend sleep. It was so rare for the gods to have compassion for mortals but this blonde had captured the affections of many gods including Zeus himself. Hercules considered this brave mortal to be his brother though they shared no blood. They were best friends, brothers of the heart. For his part, Zeus had come to see the mortal as his own son. His unconditional love for Hercules was the anchor that kept Hercules sane and solid. He had seen the affect the mortal's death had upon his son, and knew that without the blonde Hercules was nothing more than a shell that breathed and walked upon the earth.

Zeus stood there watching the two sleep under the influence of the spell. He didn't even turn as two gods materialized behind him. Ares and Aphrodite came forward to stand on either side of him, their gazes falling on the sleeping pair.

Ares spoke first. "The barrier will fall soon. We can't keep it up for much longer." He turned to his father, who said nothing. "This taint is Dahak's doing. No matter how much we wish it, we cannot undo it."

Aphrodite turned to glare at her brother. "We can't just give up on them! This was as much our doing as it was Dahak's!"

Ares snarled. "Really? Is that so? So, remind me again who it was that was going around telling everyone that this was something we needed to look into? That this was a pretty big threat that we needed to handle? No, no you all decided to wait and see what would happen. 'Oh, let's just ignore it and it will go away.'" Ares' tone was condescending, is anger and contempt made plain.

Aphrodite pouted and glared, but didn't say anything. As much as she hated to admit it, Ares was right. Maybe, if they had listened to the war god…

"Enough." Zeus finally spoke. His tone was regal, brooking no argument. Yet, Ares and Aphrodite could sense the underlying tones of sadness in his voice. "This is no time for pointing fingers and finding fault. This must be dealt with." As Ares opened his mouth to argue, Zeus turned his head sharply, his eyes burning and his brow set. Ares quickly closed his mouth and turned away to his father's burning gaze.

Aphrodite turned to her father. "But daddy, Ares is right. We can't fight Dahak's power."

Zeus nodded. "You are right, we cannot. In fact, I estimate that this barrier will not hold past a few days, if that. Once it falls, Dahak's taint will take hold and the madness he has afflicted them with will overtake them."

Tears began to form in the love goddess' eyes and she turned back to the two men. This wasn't fair! After Dahak everything should have been peachy! Sweetcheeks was back and everything was right again! Then that evil thing had to go and do this. It just wasn't fair. After all of this, for nothing. She shifted her gaze to Ares. She was resolutely determined that he would not be given the chance to carry out his suggestion. Killing them wasn't an option, not to her.

As Ares watched the two sleep, he found that even he was sympathetic to the situation. He genuinely had a fondness for the blonde warrior, despite his sickening trait of being attached to his half-brother's hip. Iolaus was a fine warrior, who proudly fought for ideals that he truly believed in, instead of a mindless mercenary or a pathetic barbarian. Despite all he had thrown at the mortal, he had still bounced back, ready for more. For that, Ares sort of admired the mortal.

Ares sighed. He knew that Zeus would never allow the death of his precious son or his mortal friend. "So, what do we do?"

For a while, there was silence until Zeus spoke again. "I have been to see the Fates." Ares and Aphrodite turned to their father, their interest peaked. The King of the Gods continued on. "They have told me many things, including that we cannot break this curse." He held up is hand for silence as his children tried to interrupt. "Gather the other gods and meet me in the throne room. I will share this with all of you. We have some things to decide."

With that he vanished, leaving Ares and Aphrodite in the chamber alone. They looked at one another, then at the two sleeping men, and then vanished themselves.

Moments later, Zeus was back upon his throne, looking every bit as regal as the King of the Gods should. Before him were all the gods of the major pantheon, including a few minor deities that had a fondness for Iolaus. Among the major gods were Ares, Aphrodite, Apollo, Athena, Artemis, Hephaestus, Discord, Hestia, Demeter, Cupid, Psyche, Hecate, Hades, Persephone, and Poseidon. Zeus let his gaze linger on the gods present. Each one of them was here because they all had a legitimate concern for the two involved, except perhaps Discord. Zeus surmised that she was only here to win Ares' good graces.

Zeus waited a few moments before starting. "I have gathered you here, because I have been to see the Fates about the situation with my son, Hercules, and the mortal, Iolaus." The gods present nodded, but stayed silent. Aphrodite clutched her husband, who was equally worried. He was fond of his brother and Iolaus, the blonde being the one who had brought Aphrodite and him together. Artemis kept a stern face, but inwardly she too was worried about her brother and her Golden Hunter. She was extremely fond of the blonde mortal, having gotten over the ridiculous incident of the golden apple long ago. Athena had also forgiven the mortal and was as worried as her sisters.

Zeus continued on. "The Fates told me many things. Including how to break the curse of madness Dahak was wrought upon them." He held up a hand for silence. The gods who had spoken up, asking questions immediately fell silent. "We cannot break the curse, or for long fight Dahak's power. This unfortunately, we already know."

Some of the gods nodded sadly. Persephone held Hades' hand tightly. She was fond of Iolaus, and didn't want to see him in the Underworld after all that had happened. Even Hades was fond of the mortal and had no desire to see him in his realm, nor did he desire the same for his nephew.

"The Fates have informed me," Zeus continued. "That the curse can only be broken by Iolaus and Hercules themselves." Once more he held up a hand for silence, using some of his power to quiet the mob before him. Many of the gods were confused. "They have told me that in order to break the curse; they must confront Dahak as whole, sane men. They must do so together, as they are meant to be."

Many gods were confused by the Fates' solution. The madness Dahak had cursed them with would not allow for such a thing! There was no cure for it, no medicine or spell that would give them even a moment of sanity once it had taken hold over them.

Aphrodite started a bit at the latter bit. She allowed a small smile at that thought. If any of the gods would know, it would be her. She knew her brother and his friend better than they would think. She had never visited the Fates, but she didn't need them to tell her that her brother and her Sweetcheeks were soul mates. It was as obvious to anyone who truly knew them. She knew what Zeus meant, that Herc and Iolaus would have to face Dahak together, as soul mates.

Zeus briefly thought back to his visit. When he had visited the Fates, they had shown him the life thread of both his son and that of Iolaus. Though Zeus had suspected, he was still surprised nonetheless. The Fates had shown him the bronze thread of his son, then the golden one belonging to Iolaus. They were weaved so tightly together that it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. They shone with the same brightness and sheen, differing only in their colors. Even then, if one stared at them long enough, the two would begin to mesh into one thick strand. Only soul mates showed these types of threads, woven so tightly together that they were practically one. Though, Zeus supposed that it wasn't so surprising. His son and his best friend fit so well together, one completed by the other.

He continued on. "The Fates have told me that this feat is not impossible, though it cannot be achieved in our realm. As we all have discovered Dahak is not a force that can be vanquished so easily. He may have been beaten back into his own realm, but his influence still remains." He took a deep breath. This would cause some sparks. "They told me that the curse originally was meant for Iolaus, but it had spread to Hercules through the bond that they share."

The gods present were stunned and saddened by this piece of information. Artemis closed her eyes as she remembered the suffering her chosen had to go through. Despite their best attempts, it seemed that the demon still managed to remain attached to her hunter. Aphrodite began to cry. She knew how close Herc and Iolaus were. If Iolaus knew that it was his bond with Hercules that Dahak tainted, the golden mortal would be crushed. Hecate showed no emotion. Her milky white eyes were blank and serene. Yet even she had an aura of sorrow about her. Hades and Ares had stony faces that showed nothing, yet by the way Hades clutched his wife's hand he was obviously concerned as well. Poseidon even sagged a little with melancholy.

Discord shifted and growled. She never liked Hercules or his pet mortal and felt inclined to show it. "Then why don't we just kill the stupid mortal? Solve all our problems?"

Before Zeus or anyone else could reply, Athena stepped up in front of Discord. "Are you that blind? Killing Iolaus will not cure Hercules of the taint if he is already affected. Killing them is not an option and we have an obligation to help them."

"Speak for yourself!" Discord shouted. "Why should I care about what happens to that half-breed mutt and his lapdog? I say we just off them both!"

"You heartless bitch!" Aphrodite shouted. Hephaestus held her back as the blonde goddess tried to make a lunge for Discord. A few of the other gods were also rearing to teach the dark goddess a lesson. Unfortunately, others were considering Discord's suggestion, while others agreed with Athena. Arguments began to break out among the assembled gods.

This time Zeus was forced to display more than just a small part of his power to quiet the shouting gods. "SILENCE!!!" His voice boomed throughout Olympus, and could even be felt in the mortal world. When the gods finally quieted, he went on. "We cannot kill them." He thought he heard Discord snarl, but he ignored it. "To kill one, or to break their bond, would drive the other permanently insane. It would only worsen the curse."

"Well then what are we supposed to do?" Zeus glared at Ares for his outburst, but said nothing.

"I have a plan. While in this plain, there is too much of Dahak's influence powering the curse. I suggest we are to send them to another, where they would be able to fight the power of the curse. Since we cannot undo it, the Fates have given me a way to alter it. This shall allow them to better fight the curse. I shall take care of this. What I have called you all here to do is to open a portal."

"To where?" This time it was Athena who asked. "Wouldn't that alternate universe be too similar for this?"

Zeus nodded. "Yes. We can't send them there. Actually, we will not know where they will be sent. We must use all of our collective power to open this particular portal, so we will not know where they will go. It is unfortunate, but it is their only hope. All we will know is that wherever they end up, they will be able to eventually confront Dahak."

None of the gods spoke or attempted an argument. What could they say? If the Fates said that this was the only way, then what could they do? Not even the gods escaped the word of the Fates. None of them liked this, but they had no choice. As a whole, they agreed to the plan. It had to be done.

Zeus then ordered them to the chamber where Hercules and Iolaus slept. The gods formed a ring around the barrier, with Zeus at the head. He held his hands out and concentrated, using the method the Fates had instructed him to use. Within the barrier, the sleeping men glowed with a light that shone pure white. Then Zeus and all the gods dispelled the barrier and the suspension. The two men slept on, but the white aura was quickly becoming dull and tainted. They had no time to lose.

Calling on all of their power, Zeus channeled it and directed it toward the fabric of time and reality. With considerable force, a tear was ripped and a portal opened. The vortex opened above the twin alters, swirling and settling in place, though not for long. This vortex was not like the other one that had opened up to the alternate world. It was a dark purple, which swirled with a quiet, dangerous force. The gods were using all of their strength to hold it open and to keep themselves from flying into it.

Upon the altars, the small protection was waning. The change Zeus had made to the curse was weakening. There was no time left. With a mighty heave of power, Zeus hefted the two into the vortex. There was a dangerous clapping of thunder that not even Zeus had the caliber to conjure. The two men flew into the vortex, vanishing as it closed.

When the vortex was closed and the tear sealed, the gods collapsed. They had been weakened by the attempt, but they would recover. Soon they would be restored to their former glory and they would reclaim their place on Olympus and the world. Their worries and their concerns lay instead with the two heroes who had vanished into the vortex to an unknown world.

There was no noise in the chamber as the vortex closed from any of the gods, besides the sound of Aphrodite crying on Hephaestus' shoulder. Persephone herself was near tears and clutching her husband like a lifeline. Aphrodite turned to her father entreatingly, but he regarded her with a stony gaze. Hephaestus led his sobbing wife from the room. Hades and Persephone soon followed them. Even Discord was shaken by the event and was offering not even a scowl.

The gods left the chamber one by one, until only Zeus remained. Ares had been the last to leave. Before he did, he shared a good long look with his father. Ares was no fool and neither was Zeus. But Zeus' glare and posture would take no argument or comment. Ares left without a word, but the God of War knew that Zeus understood Ares' stare. That vortex had taken so much of their power. It would take some time before their full powers were restored. They had no idea where they had sent Hercules and Iolaus, through a portal that had taken so much power to open. The vortex and ripped right into the fabric of reality and a level of which not even the other portal had. There was no way to tell where they had sent them, and there was no way they could search even if they did open it again. There would be heated denials and many gods looking the other way and ignoring it, but eventually the truth would become clear.

Zeus stood in the chamber for many moments even after all the gods had left. Ares knew, and possibly other gods but they would deny it. There was no way they could conjure up that much power again. A vortex of that caliber could not be called in this realm again without ripping the fabric of reality and spelling doom for all worlds.

For Zeus, it was heart breaking. He knew that his son's friends would question, plead and beg for answers. He knew that he would tell Alcmene, and that she would tell the others. He knew that once the truth had sunk in, there would be much grieving in the world by gods and mortals alike. But there had been no other way. Even the Fates could not tell them what would lie before his sons, one of blood and the other of his heart. He knew that by now their threads had vanished from the tapestry, an omen that did not bode well for anyone.

Zeus left the chamber, sealing it behind him. He would never want to enter this room again, not after it had once housed two beings that had been so dear to him. There would be much mourning in the world already; he did not need the extra incentive. Besides, he had other things to attend to.

One god, however, lingered near the sealed room. She dared not to break the seal, and thereby anger Zeus. She did not have the power to undo this seal even if she wished it. But Athena was not completely powerless. True, at the present moment she could see no way for her brother and the warrior to return. Such a feat as they had just done was nearly impossible to do again. But that did not mean that was the only way.

With a wave of her hand, she altered the barrier Zeus had left on the chamber. It would not remove it or weaken it, nor would any other god sense the change. This new alteration would let Athena know of any change to the room, including if Hercules and Iolaus were to return.

Athena gave a small smile. She was determined to find a way to locate Hercules and Iolaus, and bring them home. No one else would know of her efforts. She wanted to keep this as secret as possible, especially from Ares. She would not stop trying. She had a very long time. Hercules was immortal, his birthright as a Son of Zeus. This meant, she knew, that Iolaus too, was immortal. She was unsure how this had come about. She had a few theories on the matter, however. She was fully aware of the bond her half brother shared with Iolaus. Any minor deity could see that the two were bonded in such a way that not even death could separate them. They were not simply two men, two souls. They were one being, one soul, inseparable even in death.

Hercules may not have been entirely fond of his Olympian family, but Athena had always had a soft spot for her half brother and his friend. They had gotten along, since Athena was one of the few gods who helped mankind instead of ruling it. The goddess smiled fondly as she remembered the shy, chestnut haired boy she had had the pleasure of meeting not too long ago, at least by immortal standards. Even now, years later the crudely drawn picture depicting a goddess in armor, holding a spear and with a shape that looked vaguely like an owl, still hung in her private chamber on Olympus.

Athena hurriedly wiped the tears that were falling down her cheeks and molded her expression into one of grave determination. She would find a way to bring them home. She was not the Goddess of Wisdom for nothing.

Zeus paced his throne room, unsure of his next course of action. It was a rare moment in his existence when this sort of thing happened to him, that he was frightened of what he needed to do. In actuality he didn't have to do this. He was King of the Gods. But he owed it to her, to the mother of his favored son. He knew full well how Alcmene was going to take the news, and he dreaded being the one to tell her. But it had to come from him, not anyone else. He cared for Alcmene still, and despaired hurting her like this.

He thought back to his conversation with the Fates, and the information they had given him.

_There were three Fates who weaved the tapestry of life. Clotho, who spun the threads that gave all living things life; Lachesis, who weaved the threads into the tapestry; and Atropos, who cut the threads with her shears. None of them stirred or was deterred from their work as Zeus materialized in their chamber._

"_The Sky God has arrived at last." Lachesis remarked as she worked the threads into the tapestry. _

_Atropos chuckled as she fingered her shears. "About time he did."_

_Zeus strode forward. "Then you know why I have come." The Fates said nothing. He continued. "We cannot combat whatever Dahak has done to Hercules and Iolaus. He should have been defeated but-"_

"_Dahak is not of this realm." Lachesis interrupted. "Even we do not know the full extent of his powers, or of his origins. He is darkness, not a being that can be beaten or destroyed as you claim. He has departed from this realm, but his influence still remains in the hearts of mortals, and gods as well."_

_Clotho continued as her sister stopped. "Not even the power of the entire Greek pantheon can stop the curse which the demon has wrought upon your son and his soul mate."_

"_Then what can help?" Zeus was nearing his wits end. His son and Iolaus had been put into a suspension where they slept peacefully but it wouldn't last. _

_Lachesis beckoned Zeus over to her side. When he complied, she pointed to the enormous tapestry. "Look upon it, Sky God. I wish to show you something." The tapestry was a beautiful sight to behold. Countless threads were woven into a strange pattern only the Fates could understand. Zeus scoured the tapestry, wondering what the Fate wished to show him. _

_Lachesis wordlessly pointed to one of the threads. As Zeus gazed upon it, he saw that it was a beautiful combination of bronze and gold, shining with a glow that was so rare in the tapestry. The Zeus did a double take as he realized that the thread was thicker than the others. It was actually two threads, woven so tightly together that he had thought that it was one. The two threads were so woven into one another that it was hard to tell where one ended and another began. Zeus knew instinctively who the threads represented. _

_Atropos approached Zeus. "That gold one has caused us quite some grief, dying and coming back. You are responsible for the first, you know. So much trouble you gave us with that time altering bit."_

_Zeus said nothing; only smiled. Clotho also smiled. "Those two belong together. Soul mates from the moment they were born. Neither one is complete without the other. You must already know this, Zeus."_

_He nodded. "Yes, I know of this."_

_Atropos snorted. "Good. It saves some explaining." She turned her stern gaze upon the god. Atropos never quite forgave Zeus for the trouble he had caused with that time travel issue. It annoyed her that gods thought they were above the hands of the Fates. Showed how much they knew, especially with this Dahak business. _

_Lachesis picked up where her sister left off. "As you can see by the dulling light of their threads, Dahak's curse is consuming them. The curse is simply this: a madness that will consume their minds entirely. There is no cure, no medicine that they can be given. Once the curse takes hold, they will be reduced to nothing more than mindless beasts for as long as they live."_

_The news was worse than Zeus expected. He felt fear, fear for his son and the mortal who had pledged his life to Hercules. "Is there anything that can be done?" His tone was not that of the King of the Gods, but as a father frightened for his children._

_Not all that surprised at the god's reaction, the Fates kept a neutral, disinterested air. "There is." Clotho said. "They cannot fight the curse in this reality, so they must go to another one."_

_Zeus turned to the Fate, shocked. Before he could say anything, Atropos spoke. "They cannot go to that alternate world. It is too similar to this one. For them to have a fighting chance, you must open a portal that goes beyond the fabric of this reality." Zeus was thunderstruck, pun intended. _

_Lachesis took up the conversation. "Such a feat would require at least the major gods to accomplish. You would not be able to control where they go, however, and you would be rendered weak for quite some time."_

_But Zeus read between the lines, at what the Fates were really saying. "If we were to do this, they wouldn't come back. Such a feat wouldn't be able to be conjured again without serious repercussions."_

_Clotho looked up from her weaving, giving the sky god a sympathetic smile. Zeus stood there for moments, staring at the two threads that were wound so tightly together. For one of the rarest moments in his life, Zeus felt regret. Regret for his ignorance of the foul demon, regret for not being able to better help his son and the mortal he claimed to love as a son. But if they were to have a chance, he must take it. He owed them, more and twice over. If he had to, he would order the pantheon to do this._

_But there was one thing that confused him. "How would they be able to fight the curse once it takes over? I gather just because they are in another reality the curse will not go away."_

_The Fates nodded, and suddenly Zeus' hands glowed a bright, pure white. The glow faded and he stared at the three sisters, confused. Lachesis answered. "This will allow you to alter the curse. This power we give you is older even than your grandfather, Uranus. It is as old as the force which all life sprung, perhaps even beyond that." Zeus stared at his hands, stunned. _

_Atropos continued. "The madness cannot be taken from them, but it can be repressed and altered. The curse would have made them no better than animals. So, this alteration will do something similar."_

_Clotho continued. "By day, Iolaus shall be a man, and walk upon the earth in that form and Hercules will walk it as a beast. By night, Hercules shall walk the earth as a man, Iolaus as the beast. Once they are gone from here, the alteration will take effect. Use it before you open the portal of course."_

_Zeus swallowed. He had one more question. "How will being animals help them?" _

_Lachesis smiled, as if she knew a great secret Zeus did not…which was most likely true. "The animal egos counteract the madness, giving them an outlet, so to speak. They shall be so at different times for the sake of balance. The curse flows from their bond, so they must balance the burden. When they are human, it is up to their wills to fight the madness, though it is considerably easier with the alteration to unburden most of it. It will be no different than how Hercules has always watched his strength to keep it under control. As for when they are beasts they may keep some of their human mind, but it will be up to them and their strength." She turned and looked directly at him. "I would not worry."_

His visit with the Fates had saved the lives of Hercules and Iolaus. Though he knew the world would suffer from their absence soon. Some may wish to know what alterations Zeus made to the curse; others would soon voice their complaints about their absence. That Fates had also warned him that once they were gone, their threads would vanish from their tapestry and not even the Fates would know what would lie in store for the two. But the deed had been done. He must now deal with the consequences.

He stopped his pacing as a disheveled Aphrodite appeared in his throne room. "Daddy! We have to talk." The goddess had been crying for quite some time. Zeus remained silent, but he had an idea of why she was here. "This is completely unacceptable and unfair!" She stalked up to Zeus, who stood silent. "You knew! You knew that this would take up almost every ounce of power we had! You knew we wouldn't be able to do that again! How was what we did supposed to help Herc and Iolaus! All we did was sentence them to a lifetime in a foreign world! How is that helping them! How are we supposed to help them! How are we supposed to bring them back?" When Zeus remained silent, Aphrodite's eyes filled with water and her voice dropped to a whisper. "We can't get them back, can we? How could you do that? How could you sentence your son and a mortal who you claimed to love just the same to a destiny not even the Fates can foresee? How could-"

"Aphrodite, be silent." Zeus' voice remained low and steady, but Aphrodite could sense the undercurrent of power and authority. She was immediately silent. "This will not be discussed further. We did what had to be done. There will be no further discussion. Now leave." Zeus' tone left no room for argument. Fresh tears were cascading down Aphrodite's cheeks as she left.

Zeus took a deep breath, then teleported from Olympus and down to Earth. He stood in the middle of Alcmene's beautiful garden. Zeus smiled. Alcmene's work could rival even the gods when it came to her garden. His smile disappeared as his gaze turned to the house. This was no pleasurable visit.

He drew himself up, the image of the King of the Gods. He remained in the center of the garden as Jason ambled from the house, a basket in his arms.

Jason stopped short at seeing Zeus in the walkway. His eyes widened and he dropped the basket he was holding. He turned back to the house and shouted, "Alcmene! Zeus is here!" He turned back to the god, pale and breathing quickly. Alcmene ran from the house to stand by Jason. She clutched her husband in anticipation as Zeus approached the couple. Neither mortal was assured by the god's stoic expression.

Alcmene took a deep breath. "Zeus, my sons? Hercules, Iolaus?" She stopped, her emotions starting to take a toll on her. Jason held his wife's hand and patted it comfortingly.

"What she means is," he continued for her. "Are they alright? Are they coming back? What happened to them?"

Zeus regarded the two mortals sadly before delivering the news. "No. They will not be coming back."

Jason and Alcmene stood in mute shock, tears running freely down Alcmene's cheeks. Jason had paled considerably and was in no better condition than his wife. "What are talking about? Are they, are they…"

Zeus shook his head. "No, to our knowledge they are very much alive. But they are no longer in this plain, nor are they in the alternate world."

"Then where are my sons?!" Alcmene screeched. Jason held her back as she tried to leap for Zeus. "What's wrong with them? What aren't you telling us?" The woman cried as she began to break down.

Zeus' eyes mirrored her sadness. "Dahak cursed them, using powers none of us could counter. The Fates informed me that there was a way to undo it, but it could not be done in this reality."

As understanding began to dawn on the two mortals, Jason found that he was growing angry as he realized how this tragedy had befallen them. "Dahak was destroyed! We beat him! We saved Iolaus and we beat him! How could he have cursed them?"

"Dahak is not from this reality. His powers and his origins go beyond even our understanding. Though he no longer holds sway in this realm he does hold some influence. It was through this influence and his weakened bond with Iolaus that he was able to curse them with madness. It would have consumed their minds entirely. The only way for them to combat it was for me to alter the curse, which only would have held if we sent them from this plain."

Alcmene continued to sob, speechless at what Zeus was telling her. Her boys were gone? This could not be happening. Not after all of this. All of their fighting, all of their suffering, and Dahak had the last laugh.

Zeus continued on. "The Fates informed me of how to alter the curse, and I have done so. It took the power of all the major gods and many minor ones to open the appropriate portal. With them gone from this plain, they are able to fight the curse. With time, they may find a way to break it and confront Dahak."

Both mortals stood silent. Then Jason swallowed, asking the questions no one wanted to ask. "Where are they? When will they come back?"

When Zeus remained silent, both mortals had their answer. Alcmene finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably in Jason's arms. Her legs would no longer support her and she sagged, her husband supporting her. Jason too, was crying and holding on to his wife for all he was worth. Zeus had left the two to their mourning, tears cascading down from his own eyes.

Please read and review! All comments and advice welcome! Flames will be fed to my pet wolf. Thanks! I'll try to upload other fic as soon as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter Two

He was nothing, a shell of his former self. He was once the greatest of wizards, a force of power to be reckoned with. He had everything, enough power to rule the world. Now, he had nothing. He was stripped of his power, his fortress of Isenguard a wasted ruin. His dark master was gone, defeated and he had nothing. All the promises of power, nothing. To think that he, Saruman, once the head of one of the most powerful ruling councils on Middle Earth reduced to a rambling old man.

He was half mad, driven nearly to insanity by his losses. His forces had been decimated by trees! Walking bark and wood! Ten thousand strong bested by a mere three hundred men and a few dozen elves? He had legions of orcs and creatures to do his bidding! How is it that he had been reduced to this! This was unacceptable. He was a man of power. He greedily craved it. He was mad with wanting it.

But his master was gone; his master had abandoned him. His master was gone and his once great army, dredged from the foul earth to serve his master was no more. Only scraps of dark power lay here now, not enough for him. No, he had to have more. More! He needed power. He craved power!

_Saruman_.

The former white wizard's head snapped up. His gaze darted around the dark room he had locked himself in. He crouched further into the corner he had huddled himself in.

_Saruman_.

Saruman snarled. Had he truly gone mad? No, this was the same method in which his master had spoken to him. But his master was gone, wasn't he? So what was this new voice?

_Saruman, I can give you the power you seek_.

Power? His interest was peaked. Yes, a new master. A new, dark master who would give him power.

_Yes, power beyond your imaginings. Power to seek revenge, to rule as you see fit. Power to take your proper place in this world_.

Yes. Power, revenge, he wanted all of it. In his hazy, mad-ridden mind he recognized the demon's words. Yes, Sauron had promised this too. Now he was mad, yes he was. Power? Wanted power. Needed power. Craved power. Had been promised power, but had not been given power. Would it give him power?

_Yes, Saruman. Power beyond your wildest imaginings. You shall have power. All you must do is submit to me_.

Submit? New master? Submit, have power.

_Submit, and you will have power. Surrender, Saruman. Surrender to Dahak_.

Yes, surrender…power…

_Speak my name…surrender…_

Then, the fog in his mind cleared. His senses were sharp and he felt power flood his veins. "Yes, I submit, Dahak."


	3. Chapter 3

HTLJ/LOTR/Ladyhawke

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter Three

Cold, why was it so cold here? He had never felt cold before, his godly blood had granted him some benefits besides strength. With a huff Hercules added more wood to the fire, waiting his companion's return. He pulled the wool blanket around his shoulders to fight off the cold that had taken hold of the air for some nights. He was grateful to the elderly woman they had met a few nights ago. Thanks to her, neither man would freeze anymore in the cold weather. The village they had visited was small, and out of the way. It had also been the first sign of civilization they had seen in a week ever since waking to their predicament.

On the first few days Hercules had shouted, pleaded and begged to his relatives, yielding no results. He had known that something was not right. It wasn't the Alternate Universe, it was too different. Everything felt strange, and it was almost as if something vibrated within Hercules' blood, like as though the very air was magic. The land was foreign and any attempts to speak to whatever god ruled this place had gotten them nowhere. Hercules could feel a divine presence, but it was nothing he recognized. It was as though it was everywhere and all around him, nothing like back in his world.

After the first week of arriving in this new world, Hercules and Iolaus had set out to find some semblance of civilization. It was a little confusing at first. Even Iolaus wasn't entirely sure of the direction they were going. They both were disoriented and confused and nothing was showing any sign of getting better. After some wandering, they had come across the village. It was small, about half the size of Thebes. They had spent several days in the village courtesy of Ingrid, an elderly woman who traded supplies for some easy farm work. While they had stayed on her farm for a week, Iolaus had subtly tried to gain information from the other villagers without looking like a loony. None of the villagers had even heard of the gods or Greece! They knew nothing of the hero Hercules or anything that linked to what Iolaus and Hercules knew.

There was nothing they recognized. The country, the landscapes, everything was different. Even the language was beyond them, but after a day spent in the village they found that they were easily able to speak and understand the rough language the people spoke and even revert back to Greek if needed. Hercules theorized that the instant language pick-up was a side effect of whatever portal they popped out of.

Iolaus had asked around, but no one had known of any strange phenomenon. In fact, the only thing people talked about was the war that was going on. Hercules and Iolaus knew nothing of what the people talked about, the only practical thing they had managed to learn was that they were somewhere in a country called Rowan or some such, near the outskirts. The random facts and the news that everyone took as common knowledge left both men confused.

As Hercules sat by the fire, he closed his eyes and concentrated on his companion, using their bond. He found him, hunting some game for dinner. Hercules withdrew so not to distract him. It had astounded them at first, when they had awoken and discovered their newest predicament. Neither man knew how it came about or why. They had merely woken up to a new existence and a new world.

He and Iolaus just left his mother's house and were once again on the road. Hercules could not remember having more of a spring in his step then. Dahak and the Horsemen had been defeated and Iolaus had been returned to him. Hercules remembered falling asleep beside the campfire feeling an overwhelming sense of joy and relief that the brother of his heart was once again back in his life. The two of them were officially on vacation as far as the demigod was concerned. Iolaus had to get back into the swing of things and both men had to put the ugly incident with Dahak behind them. Mostly, Hercules just wanted to spend some quiet time with his best friend.

That night the demigod was plagued by a nightmare. Later he cast it off as a result of the incidences that had taken place of late. He did not remember much of it, except for the burning pain that seared his body and mind. He remembered mocking laughter that threatened to send him into madness.

The next morning Hercules awoke to an unfamiliar forest; definitely not where he and Iolaus had camped the other night. Unlike the forests of home, this wood was ancient and seeping with something Hercules could not quite place. It was though the forest was alive. For a brief moment he thought of the dryads and wood nymphs, but he quickly dismissed it. If that was the case he would have known.

To his surprise his whole body felt sore and tired and his head hurt. It was dark when he awoke and as he pulled himself into a sitting position he realized that there was no sign of his partner. He was frantic, calling out his partner's name in panic. He was scared that something had happened to his friend so soon after the blonde had been brought back from death. Hercules was out of his mind with panic as his calls yielded no results.

Then suddenly images were flashing through his mind at an alarming rate, almost as if they were being transmitted to him. He was nearly sent to his knees as he was overloading with wave after wave of emotions. Although they were not his own, he felt them as if they were his. It was strange to him, to feel emotions that he wasn't really feeling. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to swim in the sensations. He was running through the forest, racing through the trees with such great speed and strength. As he allowed himself to sink deeper, he realized that he was seeing these images as though through the eyes of an animal. He felt the wind running through his fur, and anguish and fear from the creature.

Then a cougar entered the clearing where Hercules stood. He was about to defend himself from an attack when he had met the creature's eyes, which were human in appearance and colored like the sky. They were full of confusion, anger and sorrow so profound that it staggered Hercules as he was assaulted with them. As he made eye contact, he realized that the sensations he had been feeling, the images, they all came from this cougar.

The bond he felt with this animal was strong, and Hercules did not know why until the image of Iolaus had flashed through his mind. The demigod was confused, until he made the connection. Hercules was astonished at what happened to his best friend, slightly more so when it finally sunk in that the emotions he had felt were Iolaus' and that he had been in the mind of his best friend as he ran through the forest.

This new link between them shocked both men, though as Hercules thought about it at a deeper level he found that in a way, it made perfect sense. Iolaus may not have been related to Hercules by blood, but as far as the demigod was concerned the blonde mortal was his brother in every way that truly counted and he knew Iolaus felt the same way. It had been this way for as long as Hercules could remember.

Contrary to what he had once said, Iolaus did indeed remember the story Gabrielle had told him when he lay wounded in the cave while Hercules and Xena tried to rescue Prometheus. Hercules was his soul mate. If anything, that was the one thing Iolaus did not doubt.

As if their situation had not been bad enough, when the sun rose Iolaus turned back into a man and the form of Hercules vanished. In its place was a gold eagle, bigger than any Iolaus had ever seen. After overcoming the shock, Iolaus began to form a general idea of the new situation they had found themselves in. Iolaus spent the day scouting the area in vain to find something that looked familiar. Hercules tested his wings and newly acquired power of flight. Once the sun had set, Hercules changed back into a man and Iolaus once more became the cougar. It was then they understood this new development.

It had hurt Hercules to know that he could no longer hear the bright laughter of his best friend, or to hold the blonde's smaller form in his arms again. Hercules was happy that they were alive, but he was also saddened by this existence. They could still understand and speak to one another. As animals they could understand speech and they could communicate through images and emotions. But Hercules longed to hear Iolaus' voice sing another off key song, tell a bad joke, anything.

It was frightening to learn that they were no longer home, but in a foreign world. But nothing had scared them more than to discover the dark, ominous cloud hovering at the edge of their minds, just in the realm of their control. As humans they could feel it. It was always there, in the back of their minds like a hovering insect that wouldn't go away. It gave Iolaus shivers whenever he thought about it and whenever one of them tried to touch it, it had made them draw back immediately. Hercules commented that it was like touching something foul and corrupted.

Unfortunately it did not take them long to figure out what it was. It was during the third day of their strange predicament, when bandits attacked them. Hercules took to the air, avoiding crossbows and attacking when he could. Iolaus fought like he always did, like a blonde whirlwind easily taking down his opponents. Then something went wrong. Hercules was clipped by an arrow and fell to the ground.

Iolaus lost it. His movements had become feral, his attacks wilder and more dangerous. His eyes seemed to glow an eerie red and he decimated the men, showing no mercy. He had attacked them like a wild animal. When Hercules snapped his friend out of his primal trance, the blonde was horrified by his actions.

Madness. Both men could feel it, lurking beneath the surface of their control. They had no idea how it came to be there, or how to be rid of it. It was a frightening thing, and Iolaus was angry with himself for losing it and how easy it had been to do so. They realized that they would have to keep tight control over it, lest it take them over. Hercules helped, since it was similar to how he kept control over his divine strength. It was difficult for them, having to maintain this constant control especially, while they were fighting. Three days after the bandits they were attacked by foul creatures during the night and Hercules was hard pressed to keep himself under control. He was barely able to stop himself from going mad, but he was able to tightly rein it in. However, he was aware that the harder he fought, the harder the control became. It was afterwards that they had made another small discovery; that while they were animals, the madness could not touch them. It was relieving, but a small compensation.

Hercules looked up from the fire as Iolaus entered the campsite, a fat rabbit in his teeth. Hercules took it with a smile, knowing Iolaus had already eaten. As he skinned and prepared the rabbit, Iolaus lied down next to him. Hercules ate in silence, once again pining for the chance to have a conversation with his best friend again.

Iolaus, sensing his friend's anguish, rubbed his head against his leg. Hercules smiled, assured by the gesture, and rubbed his friend's head. Hercules finished his meal and cleaned up the campsite while Iolaus lay in the same spot. When Hercules finished, he returned to sit by Iolaus. He lay on the ground while the cougar lay its head on the demigod's leg. Hercules scratched his buddy's ears, smiling at the purring that erupted.

They remained silent for some time, before Hercules spoke. "Iolaus, I have the sinking feeling that we are going to be in this world for quite some time." The cougar did not raise its head. Mentally Hercules heard the hunter agree with him and continued. "We're going to have to learn more about this world, especially if there is a war going on." Before they had left the village, they had heard of a ferocious battle that had occurred some time ago, at a place called Helm's Deep. Through this they discovered a new threat and a name to the foul creatures they fought before, orcs. The ugly, disgusting creatures had come from a place far in the east, called Mordor. Their master was a dark force, whose name most feared to speak.

But the braver men spoke of a wizard, Saruman, who had betrayed them and joined with this evil master and how he had controlled the legions of orcs that marched upon Helm's Deep. Apparently now this once powerful wizard had been stripped of power, his forces destroyed and he was locked away in his tower somewhere west, called Isenguard. But this had happened weeks ago. Iolaus had hung around the tavern all day to learn information, and came out confused. Iolaus had related his information to Hercules, but neither one could make real use of it so far and asking for clarification was out of the question. The last thing they needed was to be chased out like a pair of lunatics.

They had decided to head toward Edoras, the capital of Rohan, the country in which they found themselves in. They really had nowhere else to go and the capital seemed like a good a place as ever. And if they were lucky, the wizard would be there. They may even receive help…if they weren't attacked by more demons first. Knowing their luck, they would be confused for demons or the like. Something like that always happened to them.

Hercules could feel the evil presence that was sweeping across the land. He knew that it must come from Mordor, from this evil that so many were afraid of. It felt so similar to Dahak that even Iolaus had been afraid of this evil, feeling Hercules' intuition and sharing his demigod senses through their bond. They were cautious of this force and both men decided that they wanted to go nowhere near Mordor if they could help it. Hercules felt the unease and fear whenever Iolaus' mind strayed too long on the subject, sensing the remnants of Iolaus' ordeal with Dahak. Both men avoided the subject, much to their mutual relief.

Hercules sighed and continued. "I just hope that when we reach Edoras that someone will be able to help us. As different as this world is it is also a little similar to our own. The people seem used to magic and evil and demons and wizards. Maybe our situation won't be too shocking to them that they try and kill us."

The cougar huffed, and Hercules sensed the sarcasm coming from his partner. He chuckled. "You're right, it wouldn't be the first time someone in a foreign world tried to kill us. Who knows, maybe these people will be the first to not want to kill us." The villagers had been suspicious of the stranger, but they had only seen Iolaus, not Hercules and so were not too suspicious of one who looked so much like their own.

Indeed, the people of Rohan seemed to be mostly blonde, warrior stock. Even the women bore a strong impression and toughness that the two would expect from Amazons. Iolaus had immediately liked the strong, warrior people though they reminded Hercules too much of the Vikings he had encountered in Norse land.

Once Hercules had considered begging to whatever gods existed in this other reality, but that had been quickly shot down by both men. Hercules and Iolaus had never trusted the gods. They never did favors for mortals unless there was something in it for them. Hercules and Iolaus knew nothing of the deities of this world. If there were gods, they had not bothered to show themselves, not even to Hercules. As for sorcerers, Hercules and Iolaus had not known any that used their powers to help others without exacting a price. The one called Saruman, who had been evil, had apparently been stripped of his powers by a more powerful sorcerer, Gandalf.

Gandalf Stormcrow was his name, or at least the name the people of Rohan called him. He was apparently known by many names. The two didn't know what to make of this man. The people Iolaus had spoken to in the village had mixed thoughts about the man. With this war going on, not many people were partial to magic. Some praised the old man and others would sooner turn from his path. But everyone had a respect for him no matter their opinion. He had released their king from a dark spell wrought by Saruman, and was an advisor to him. He was also apparently, rumored, to be friend to the heir of Isildur and to the elves. Not that they understood what that meant.

Iolaus had heard odd things while in the village. They had not understood most of it, since they were not native to the land. Talk of Mordor, or orcs, or other lands confused them. It was like having hundreds of puzzle pieces yet so few fit together to form any coherent picture. Hercules had brightened at the mention of elves, an element that reminded them of home. But not many people spoke of them, so they found nothing out about the elves of this world. It was not so much of a loss. In their world, elves had been somewhat untrustworthy creatures, similar to dryads and naiads. They, like the gods, thought mortals inconsequential.

So, the two had decided to head south toward Edoras. They had no idea of this Gandalf would still be there, or even if they could trust him. But he had powers, and was revered as a wise man. They hoped, however dimly, that he might be able to provide answers, that he may know what afflicted them and who had cast this curse upon them. They hoped that he maybe, just maybe, knew how to get them home.

When the demigod had gone silent, Iolaus huffed again, the batted his head gently against the demigod's leg. He could sense there was more the demigod had to say. Hercules looked into his partner's eyes, sensing the impatience. He sighed. He had trouble hiding things from Iolaus before. Now with this curse it was damn near impossible. He grinned. "All right, all right. Gods, I can't hide anything from you can I?"

Hercules wasn't entirely sure that cougars could grin, but he was sure that this one just did. "I am a little nervous about all of this. I mean, we have no idea how this happened to us. We wake up and suddenly our whole lives are upside down, with no sign of getting better. I don't like not knowing what's going on, and I know you don't either. I'm angry, angry at whatever deity that decided to do this to us." Hercules voice choked a bit and he lay a possessive hand on the back of Iolaus' neck. Iolaus merely nuzzled closer as Hercules continued. "I lost you, to that foul demon. It was a miracle when I got you back. Now this? It's not fair. I'm glad that nothing worse happened to you, to us. But…" Hercules trailed off, his emotions becoming too much for him to speak.

Iolaus felt the same as his partner, and knew how the bigger man felt. He moved to lay his head on Herc's chest, his body right next to Hercules'. Hercules threw an arm around Iolaus, drawing the warm body closer to him. He buried his head in Iolaus' neck, his tears falling onto the soft fur, which was as golden as Iolaus' hair was as a man. He felt a dampness on his chest, soaking his clothes and drew the cougar closer. The two feel asleep in this manner, venting their grief and pain.

Please R&R. No flames!


	4. Chapter 4

HTLJ/LOTR/Ladyhawke

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter Four

The air was considerably warmer as Iolaus rode the next day on the large, chestnut steed the woman had provided. Hercules, in eagle form, flew above him somewhere, scouting ahead. He could feel the link with his partner, and would be able to sense any threats that came along. There was a sword strapped to the saddle along with supplies and food. There wasn't always game for Iolaus to hunt so they had made sure they had enough food when they left the village. They were trying to go in the direction of Edoras, south, but Iolaus wasn't sure if they were having much luck. The map a townsperson had provided them with looked as though a two-year old had drawn it. They were not lost, but they were not entirely sure that they were going the right way either.

As always when he was in human form, Iolaus felt the dark cloud of madness stirring. He kept it under tight control, which was easy enough to do most of the time. But when they encountered the odd bandit, and even once a small group of orcs, Iolaus found himself tight-pressed to keep it under that control. Hercules had been coaching him during the nights when he was human.

Iolaus knew Hercules missed conversing with him. True, he could understand Iolaus while he was an eagle, but it wasn't the same to banter with Hercules when he could not reply in words, only in thoughts and emotions. It was confusing, to communicate when he was an animal. Animals didn't speak human languages, so the words were translated into something animals would understand. It was a confusing thing to think about, so Iolaus didn't. Neither of them was dead or horribly disfigured. Yes, this curse was awful and trying, but at least they were alive and well. Iolaus gave thanks for that. But he knew Hercules despaired from time to time, so Iolaus did his best to cheer up his partner.

Iolaus then stopped the horse as Hercules flew into view. He held out his arm and his buddy landed on his gauntlet, careful not to scratch him with his huge talons. Iolaus had seen gold eagles before and they were huge, but Hercules was larger than any eagle he had ever seen. Iolaus of course teased him about it. Hercules always dutifully responded with a nip on Iolaus' ear.

As Hercules landed on his partner's arm, he transferred images of village just a few miles away. It was small, not Edoras. But it was on their way and it had an inn to sleep in. They had some money, courtesy of the old woman. "Great job, Herc. Once I get there, I'll find us an inn so we can rest."

Hercules portrayed his agreement, and then took to the skies. Iolaus watched his buddy fly for a moment, connecting them through the bond. Iolaus took a few moments to enjoy to feeling of flight, to feel the rush of the wind through Hercules' feathers. Then he pulled back to himself and urged the steed onward, following Hercules as he flew the way to the village.

As it came into view, Hercules veered in another direction. They wanted to seem inconspicuous, unsuspicious. They didn't want to attract any more attention than necessary. Iolaus didn't know if anyone would pay attention to a guy following an eagle, but he didn't want to take a chance. He slowed the horse into a trot as he approached the village. He pulled his cloak tighter across him, covering his purple patchwork vest and amulet.

He felt the stares of the people as he rode in. Like in the village, most of the people were blonde and strong looking. Iolaus was blonde, but he was smaller than most of these people. He was no less a warrior though, and he carried himself like one even on a horse. When he was in the city he climbed down from the horse and walked the streets, looking for an inn.

People stopped to stare at the stranger. He looked to be of Rohan blood, but his clothes were strange under his cloak. Strangers were not too welcome during these dark times, especially with the king away at war with most of the soldiers. A contingent still kept the peace throughout the lands, but they were so few and far between. No one trusted strangers nowadays.

But this man seemed different. He carried himself surely and with confidence, like a warrior. He had the telltale signs of a man who spent his life outdoors and even with the cloak those with good eyes saw the scars from many battles. Those who looked into his eyes saw no darkness, but a light that sprung from a joy of life. The man even seemed to glow with that love of life, the sun cascading his hair with a golden nimbus that gave him an ethereal look people associated with Gandalf. Perhaps this man was an acquaintance of the white wizard? Was that why he glowed so?

With some, mostly women, the stranger seemed to be in good faith, worth knowing. He emitted no hostility, even his nods and small smiles were courteous to those who were not. Though there were still a good many that kept their distance and trusted no one no matter how friendly they seemed, especially a wandering warrior.

Iolaus was aware of the stares he was getting. He didn't want to start anything by inciting the peoples' ire, so he tried to be polite and courteous, giving small, friendly smiles and a polite nod of his head. As with the other village, not many people here trusted strangers. With this war going on, though Iolaus did not completely understand it, he understood the peoples' concern and suspicion. So he tried to keep himself as discreet as possible. A small grin emerged as he thought of the kind of reception Hercules might have received. In response, some of the people nodded back, a few even smiling. Though there were a great deal who scowled and ignored him, there looked to be a few who at least found him to be interesting and friendly. On the edge of his awareness, he felt Hercules was amused by the fact that most who smiled at him were women.

He saw the inn, just down the road. It had a stable attached to it. Iolaus smiled and walked toward it. He gave a few coins to the stable boy, who cared not that he was s a stranger. Then he walked into the inn. It was large, but had a cozy feel to it. It was about half full, with music playing and people having good conversations. It was not yet late enough for many of them to be drunk. Yet, he had found that these Rohan people could hold their liquor quite well. Serving wenches smiled at the patrons, nimbly avoided wandering hands. But no one got too rowdy or too inappropriate with the women. Iolaus liked these people more and more as he observed them.

The music paused and the conversation dimmed a bit as Iolaus walked in. Every one stared at the stranger. Iolaus paused in the doorway. Then he politely smiled and nodded, then made his way to the barkeep. He felt eyes following him and tried to ignore it. _Geez_. He thought. _Was this what Herc feels like when people stare at him? At least when people stare at him it is a good thing. I'm not sure if these guys want to kill me or not_.

"Good day sir. I was wondering if you had a room available." He kept his tone light. He did not want to start a riot. Normally he loved a good brawl, but that was in his own world. Here, it probably wasn't a good idea.

The barkeeper scowled, taking in his appearance. Iolaus was confused, until he realized that his cloak was open and his vest and amulet were exposed. He nonetheless tried to keep a non-threatening stance. Iolaus noticed that the barkeeper stared the longest at his amulet, probably wondering what it stood for. He fought the urge to tightly grasp his amulet.

The barkeep growled. "You got money for a room?"

Iolaus reached into his pouch and pulled out a few coins. The barkeep scowled but nodded. "Yeah. You can have a room." Iolaus put the coins into the man's hand. "Upstairs, last door at the end of the hall on your left." Iolaus nodded his thanks and turned to go to his room.

"Hold up." The barkeep growled. Iolaus turned back to him. "You're not from these parts, are ya?"

The music had gone on, but quietly and most conversation stopped in order to hear his answer. They were curious about the stranger too. Iolaus felt practically all the eyes in the room on his and it was making him very uncomfortable. He felt Hercules' support in him, strong enough that it was like the big guy was right next to him with a hand on his shoulder. It brought a small smile to his face.

"Why does it matter?" He asked.

The barkeeper's scowl deepened. "Not many people to trust nowadays, especially strangers. With this war going on, and with the King off to war in the south in Gondor! Fighting the scum of Mordor he is, so is the lord Eomer! Gandalf's gone too, to Gondor. Not many soldiers around, since they all went to Gondor to fight. Strangers are known for giving trouble, too."

"I don't want to bring any problems to anyone. I wander, you see. I prefer the solitude of the woods and the wilderness. I'm a hunter by profession." Iolaus replied. The barkeeper's eyes widened.

"Are you one of them rangers? You dress almost like them."

Rangers? Iolaus shook his head. "Just a wanderer who doesn't like to bring trouble." Iolaus' words had somewhat of a calming effect on people. Not so many were staring, and some were even hanging onto his words as though he might tell a story at any time. Some of the serving women were even giving him flirting smiles and seductive glances. They noticed how his athletic body was shown off by the open vest and leather pants.

But Iolaus' heart sank, and he felt Hercules' disappointment. The wizard was out of the country, fighting the war in the east where supposedly all of the monsters and evil were conjugated. This was not good news. Iolaus managed to keep his face neutral. The barkeep's scowl lessened. "But ya still haven't told me where you are from." The barkeep looked him up and down again. "Your hair looks as though you'd be from Rohan." Iolaus again took notice that a great many people here had blonde hair. "But, you're a bit short to be of Rohan blood."

Iolaus bristled and he felt Hercules' stern warning not to get into a fight. But a couple men noticed the gleam of anger in Iolaus' eyes and the sudden rigidness of his posture. "I am not short. I am of average height. You people are too tall!"

That got the entire room erupting in laughter, though it wasn't derogatory or demeaning. Even the barkeep was laughing. Iolaus inwardly smiled. These people liked him now. No matter what the room, Iolaus could have them all on his side within minutes. Through their bond, Hercules laughed and translated his approval. There would be no bloodshed.

The man next to Iolaus patted him on the back. "Good man, this one is! Let him loose with your interrogative tongue, Relomis! He has the look of a warrior in him. He could best you in a fight!"

The barkeep grunted, but gave Iolaus a small smile. "I suppose he could." He leaned over the counter a bit closer to Iolaus, who stood unflinching. "Yeah, I see it. You've seen many fights, my good man. Not all of them victorious aye?" He chuckled when Iolaus did not respond. "Still irked about the short comment? Well, I do apologize lad." He held out his hand to Iolaus, who eyed it, then shook it with a smile of his own.

"Accepted." Iolaus said. "Good thing too. Those who haven't apologized to me are still limping."

The man sitting next to him laughed along with the barkeep. The music was back up and things were progressing back to normal, Iolaus accepted among them. "I reckon you could probably wipe the floor with most men in here. But it's a good thing it hasn't come to that. There is too much fighting nowadays. No need to fight amongst ourselves."

At the risk of losing his newfound friends, Iolaus decided to play up the wandering hunter bit and ask. "This may sound odd, but like I said before, I wander from place to place. I rarely visit villages and cities. So, I'm afraid I don't know much about this war in Mordor. It is the dark one, isn't it?" The reference was so obscure that he knew the people would translate it into whatever dark power lied in Mordor.

They looked mildly surprised, but nodded in what looked like acceptance. The man needed to be brought up to speed. The man next to him, Tylendal was his name, spoke. "Well, naturally you've noticed an increase in those foul beasts, orcs?" Iolaus nodded. That was one thing he knew. "Yeah, well, it is true. The dark lord Sauron has been stirring up trouble in Mordor."

Iolaus frowned in mock confusion. "I thought he was defeated by Isildur." In their minds, Iolaus and Hercules were starting to put all the puzzle pieces in place. The legend of Isildur striking down Sauron and saving the world years and years ago was one thing Iolaus had heard in the previous village.

The barkeep, Relomis, shook his head. "Not entirely. See, Isildur, after he defeated Sauron, took the One Ring, which gave Sauron his power. It was lost when he was killed. Now, they say it's been found and Sauron's stirring again. Out there in Gondor they have it the worst. They are the first line of defense against Mordor and they are vastly outnumbered. King Théoden has gone to lend aid. Before the wizard Saruman was bested by Gandalf, he was sending Uruk-hai to destroy us all."

Iolaus nodded. "I heard about the battle at Helm's Deep."

Tylendal grinned. "A great victory. But now all the fighting is in Gondor. I'm too old, too infirm to fight or else I'd be with them. But they say that Isildur's heir is fighting too, the heir to the throne of Gondor! He was said to be raised by the elves. It was their help that gave us victory at Helm's Deep."

Iolaus nodded slowly, in thought. "Then I have hope in King Théoden, and the men fighting against this shadow."

Relomis shook his head sadly. "Even with our armies, we'd be vastly outnumbered by the armies of Mordor. I'm afraid there is not much hope." Tylendal also seemed to sag with the news.

Iolaus frowned. "There is always cause for hope, even if it is only one man against the whole of Mordor, there is hope."

Tylendal looked at Iolaus in pity, as though one would look at a child who could not grasp adult conflicts. "Lad, I wouldn't put much emphasis on false hope."

Iolaus grinned. "I don't. I have hope. Even one man can change the course of history. Your faith is what they need now. Still have hope. Hope will shine even in the darkest recesses and if it is strong enough, it can banish the darkness." Iolaus voice grew confident as he spoke. Though this was not his world, he had no desire to see it fall to this dark entity. And he spoke the truth. Hope saw him through the hardest times, through all of his battles whether they were on the field, or in his mind.

Both men stared at Iolaus in a sort of wonder. They too, felt emboldened by his words. Those around them who had been eavesdropping also felt a renewing of hope from his words.

Iolaus talked a bit more with them, slyly gaining more information before turning in. He closed the door to his room and locked it. He wanted no visitors. It was evening now, only a few hours until sunset. Hercules flew into the room and settled himself on the back of a sturdy chair. Iolaus sat down in the one next to it.

"Hi buddy." He said, stroking the eagle's head. "Okay, let's see here. So, this dark entity in Mordor, who controls all of those monsters, is called Sauron. Long ago and far away he had a ring that gave him power. These people call it the 'One Ring.' The guy that beat Sauron, Isildur, king of Gondor, some other country, took the ring and when he was killed it was lost. Are you with me so far?"

Hercules bobbed his head. Iolaus nodded. "Okay. Now the ring has been found and it is being taken to Mordor to be destroyed. By whom, no body knows. Supposedly it is the elves. Meanwhile, Sauron is gathering all of his forces to take over the world. But Rohan and Gondor are fighting back. We already know about Helm's Deep and Saruman. But since Gondor is on the front lines, they're being hit the hardest and they need backup. So, King Théoden has gone to Gondor to give them support. Along with them is the heir to Gondor's throne and Gandalf, the guy we needed to see."

Hercules' wings drooped when Iolaus went on. "So, we end up cursed by who knows, and sent to an alternate world by, again, who knows. We can't talk to each other anymore, and apparently if we lose it we _really_ lose it. On top of all that, the world we are sent to is in the middle of a war against a dark entity that is trying to rule everything, like Dahak." Hercules could feel the hesitation and the discomfort when Dahak's name was said. "Then when we find out that there is a guy who could possibly help, he's in another country fighting this seemingly impossible war, on the front lines!"

Iolaus slumped in his chair. He looked absolutely miserable, and Hercules could feel his frustration and misery. He flew over to land on the table next to him, mentally giving him support. With a smile of thanks, Iolaus reached up to stroke his partner. "Thanks buddy. But what are we going to do? Travel all the way to Gondor? We hardly know where we are right now! I mean, eventually someone will come back to Edoras. But we need to see that Gandalf guy and who knows where he might be. So, do we go on to Edoras and wait? Or do we do things the hard way and go to Gondor, possibly get caught in this war and end up in mortal peril?"

Iolaus grinned and the eagle had a twinkle of mirth in his blue eyes as they portrayed the same thoughts. Since when had they done things the easy way? They had decided. To Gondor it was. They had been going south to reach Edoras. They would make a detour and turn south east instead. From the badly drawn map, Iolaus figured it to be the right way. They would have to go through mountains, though, to get to Gondor…if they didn't get themselves hopelessly lost first.

Iolaus merely sat in his chair, taking comfort in his friend's presence. He continued to stroke the soft feathers of his best friend, watching the sunset in through the window. When the sun began to dip behind the horizon, Iolaus stood from his chair and Hercules flew off of the table to the floor. As the last light disappeared behind the horizon, a brief shimmering could be seen from the window. The form of Iolaus vanished, and a golden cougar instead stood in the room. At the same time, the eagle vanished and Hercules appeared in his woven leather pants, yellow shirts, and his gauntlets, forged by Hephaestus.

Hercules swept his honey brown hair from his face and took a seat on the edge of the bed. Iolaus promptly jumped up and settled down next to Hercules. Hercules removed his boots and settled in next to the cougar. The transformation was painless, but it was a little exhausting for the both of them. They had traveled long and hard today and needed to rest. Iolaus snuggled next to Hercules, wrapping his tail around the demigod's waist. Hercules in turn wrapped an arm around the cougar, his head nuzzled in his furry neck. They slept deeply, needing the strength for the long journey ahead of them.

Please R&R. No flames!


	5. Chapter 5

Looking for jobs sucks. Still no luck. *Sigh* I will try to update my other fics as soon as I find my muse...wherever she is. Sneaky little brat.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter Five

A clamor of voices from the common room below woke Hercules from his sleep. Iolaus barely stirred when Hercules carefully arose from the bed to walk to the door. Glancing back once more to make sure his partner was still asleep he quietly opened the door and tiptoed down the hall toward the stairs. He peeked downstairs, making sure he was not seen. It was very late, and the room was nearly empty of customers. Instead, the loud voices had come from the group of men who stood in the center of the room. Their leader was arguing with Relomis.

"I tell you, no one of that description has entered my tavern! We don't want your kind in here, so get!" Relomis' face was red with anger and he looked ready to throw a punch. Relomis looked like any Rohan-born man they had seen, big, stocky and strong. Hercules had no doubt he would be able to take care of the leader and though there weren't many customers left, they still outnumbered the group of men.

The leader of the band scowled back at Relomis, but his voice was eerily calm. "Think harder, innkeeper. Your life may depend on it."

The threat was meant to intimidate, but instead Relomis only grew angrier and the few patrons that were left stood, ready to defend their countryman. "Threatening _me_ now, are you? What makes you think your threats will do you any good! I've told you once, I'll tell you again, not one stranger, dark haired or blonde, has come into my tavern! Now get out!"

Hercules froze. These men were looking for him and Iolaus, he knew it. Then curiosity struck and Hercules looked at their clothing a little closer. The group of men dressed like no bandits or mercenaries Hercules had ever seen. Their clothes were neater, nicer looking and they had no weapons. Every one of them wore a robe-like cloak over their clothes. It was plain, with no adornments but to Hercules' eyes it seemed to glow unnaturally white. Each one of them had blue eyes so pale that they almost blended in with the whites of their eyes. It was unnatural and it sent shivers down Hercules' spine.

The leader grew tired quickly of Relomis' yelling and pulled a dagger out from under his cloak. He was the only one who held a weapon. Immediately Relomis and all the Rohan people in the room drew a weapon and brandished them toward the group of strangers. The group of whitecloaks was outnumbered and they knew it, but they merely stood with an eerie calm. The leader held his dagger out threateningly, enough so that Hercules got a good look at it.

As soon as Hercules laid eyes on the dagger, his blood turned to ice. His eyes widened and he was hard pressed to keep his breathing under control lest he start hyperventilating. The dagger was stained with old, dried blood. It had been used once to kill and hadn't been used since. Evil radiated from it and the longer he looked at it the harder Hercules found it to breathe. His divine heritage screamed at him the blade's evil. He recognized the ebony handle, the curved blade and he knew whose blood stained it. Hercules remembered the blade with perfect clarity, he remembered when Dahak had used it to take the life of his best friend. He stared at the blade in horror, stunned with the realization of who these men must be.

His throat closed and suddenly Hercules couldn't breathe. It wasn't possible. They had beaten Dahak, hadn't they? He was overcome with panic and fear. He wanted to run but his body was paralyzed. He couldn't take his eyes off of the blade, held by the servant of Dahak. He remembered it flying through the air to imbed itself into Iolaus' heart. He remembered Iolaus clutching the blade as though he could pull it from his heart as the life bled from him. The memory replayed over and over in his mind.

Then panic was gone, replaced by anger and rage. The cold, absolute rage that had possessed him that day in the temple took hold of him once more. His fists clenched and his eyes narrowed in his fury. He felt the madness begin to creep past his control and he was tempted to let it loose, to unleash his fury upon the demon's followers. He envisioned himself tearing them apart, throwing them through the walls of the tavern and watching their heads burst open like ripe melons. It would be so easy, with his superior, divine given strength. There would be no opposition if he unleashed his full strength even if they all came at him at once. He could almost taste the blood as it spilled from them in his mind. He snarled like an animal and moved to rush downstairs and live his violent fantasy.

He was stopped suddenly wih a strong, mental tug. He staggered as though his leash had been pulled taunt and turned swiftly, snarling and eyes bright with madness as he prepared to tear apart the interloper who had gotten in his way. He frozewhen he saw Iolaus' blue eyes staring back at him. Hercules stared into the eyes of his best friend, the only part of him that looked remotely human. In cougar form, Iolaus did not have the slit eyes that a cougar would possess. His eyes always remained human, their sky blue color shined just as bright in this form as they did in his human one.

As Hercules gazed into his partner's eyes he felt the firm control and reason Iolaus tried to push into his mind. Hercules gasped as he pushed back the madness and the anger, regaining control of his senses. He collapsed to his knees, breathing deeply, straining to regain control of himself. Iolaus was immediately by his side, giving him support and a calming presence.

Hercules shook his head as the fog that had obscured his reason dissipated and he regained control of his senses. He was horrified at the thought of what he was about to do, even if the men downstairs were evil. The monster he would have been reduced to would have put them to shame. He rubbed Iolaus' neck in a gesture of thanks and comfort. He felt Iolaus' fear of the men, after seeing them through Hercules' eyes. Hercules knew that Iolaus too wished nothing more than to tear into them. But the risk wasn't worth it. There were innocent people downstairs that would get caught in the crossfire.

Besides, they had other things problems to think about. These men were servants of Dahak. Hercules could feel the familiar evil coming off of these men in waves and so could Iolaus. Dahak wasn't gone, not completely. He still had influence with his followers. But how did they get to this world? Did Dahak have influence here, another link to reality? How did he know they were here?

So many questions and whatever the answers where, neither man could go downstairs. Hercules wanted nothing more than to tear the white-cloaked men apart, but then Dahak could find them. These men were only pawns, meant to be his eyes and ears. If Hercules and Iolaus were to confront them, then Dahak would know where they were. Dahak was looking for them and they couldn't afford to paint a bigger target on themselves. If they left the village, then Dahak would have to look elsewhere for them. As much as Iolaus regretted just leaving his new friends without a word, it would be much safer for everyone involved if they left now.

Hercules and Iolaus crept quietly back to their room. Hercules quickly grabbed the pack and sword Iolaus had brought in earlier. There was a blanket and some food still left in it. There was more in their saddlebags and their water was on the horse. Hercules opened the window and looked down. It wasn't a tall building, an easy drop to the ground. Hercules secured the items to his person, and then leapt out of the window. He landed on the ground somewhat gracefully and moved into the shadows of the building. He positioned himself under the window and bade Iolaus to jump. In a heartbeat, Hercules' stumbled and his arms were full of cougar. He set Iolaus down and the two ran off to the stable.

The stable boy was nowhere to be seen and their horse was the only one in the stalls. Hercules tied the bag and the sword on and heaved himself into the saddle. Quietly, he urged the horse out of the stable and onto the street. Iolaus had gone ahead to scour the area, making sure no acolyte of Dahak was prowling around for them. Hercules led the horse through the dirt streets, keeping to the shadows and out of sight. Very few people were out and it was easy to keep away from searching eyes.

Suddenly with a warning from Iolaus, Hercules pulled the horse into an alley, completely out of sight. The group of Dahak's followers walked by him moments later. The leader looked furious, like a petulant child who had not gotten his way. To Hercules' relief the dagger was sheathed. If he were to see that blade again, Hercules wasn't sure he could control himself from ripping the man apart.

Hercules waited some time after the men had passed. Iolaus had doubled back to the tavern to check on it. Hercules sagged with relief when Iolaus reported that no one was harmed, that the acolytes had left without spilling blood. They were probably under orders not to draw attention to themselves. True, Dahak would most likely want to burn down the village and slaughter every last living thing. So why wouldn't he? What did Dahak care of killing innocent lives for his goals? It didn't make much sense but Hercules filed it away for later.

When sufficient time had passed, Hercules urged the horse back onto the street and toward the entrance. When he reached the village entrance he urged the horse into a run. Hercules saw a gold flash beside him and a glance told him that Iolaus was running beside the horse. Without looking back, the two of them got away as fast as they could from the village and Dahak's followers. They headed in the general direction of southeast, toward Gondor.

It was almost dawn when they allowed themselves to stop. Hercules dismounted the horse, which was panting from his exertions. Hercules patted the horse's neck in apology. He was never fond of riding horses. He was a big man and wasn't comfortable riding something he could easily pick up and carry. Additionally, not many horses were big enough for him to overexert like this. But the people of Rohan seemed to be natural horsemen and had excellent herds. The one he rode was strong, but it was still a bit of a trial with Hercules' size and the speed they were going.

He looked over at Iolaus, who was lying on the ground, exhausted. After making sure the horse wouldn't run, he walked over to sit by Iolaus. He patted the sweat soaked fur and stroked behind his buddy's ears. "Are you going to be okay, Iolaus? The sun is coming up soon. Maybe we should rest here, make up camp."

Iolaus shook his head and turned to stare at Hercules. The demigod felt his friend's urgency to get to safety. He felt Iolaus' fear of the acolytes and wanted to get as far away as possible. Hercules scanned the horizon as best he could in the dark. "I know buddy. But we should find a forest or something on the way. According to our map we are going to have to cross the mountains to get to Gondor. That will take a few days at least. Overall, I'd say almost a week to reach Minas Tirith. That is probably where Gandalf is."

Iolaus nodded once, and then laid his head on Hercules' lap. He was tired from the running and wanted to rest. But he also wanted to be as far away from the acolytes as possible. He had no idea how far away they were, or even if they could track him and Hercules. How did they even know where they would be? Was it chance? How did they get to this world? He felt Hercules stroke his head in a comforting gesture. The demigod was just as confused and scared as Iolaus.

Back at the tavern Iolaus had been awakened by Hercules' sudden fear and panic and had seen the knife through his buddy's eyes. When he felt the madness and anger start to cloud Hercules' judgment, he had leapt into action. It had been a bit frightening for Iolaus to feel his partner's control slip away so quickly and Iolaus had feared a bloodbath.

Iolaus could still feel the oily, tingling feeling he had felt when they had been in the tavern with those men. They stank of death and decay, corrupted by the touch of Dahak. But hadn't they beaten Dahak, sent him back to his realm? Iolaus thought back to Dahak's defeat and Iolaus' rebirth into life. There had been a celebration after the defeat of Dahak and the Horsemen. Nebula and Iolaus had parted ways, for now. She was going back to her throne and he was returning to his partner's side. They had been on the road for several days, only just leaving Alcmene's home.

Then they had fallen asleep and woken up in another world. But before that, Iolaus had had a nightmare, one that had terrified him and sent shivers through his very soul. He was back in the abyss, the limbo that he had experienced while Dahak had possession of his body. He could hear Dahak's mocking laughter all around him. It had grown louder and louder, and even though Iolaus had clamped his hands over his ears the laughter reverberated through his skull until he thought it would drive him insane. His body had burned as though someone had thrown him onto a burning pyre. He had screamed in pain and terror as the unholy laughter and fire had burned through his mind and his body.

Iolaus pushed the memory out of his mind, content to relax with his friend. When sunrise came, they were still in the same position. There was a shimmering in the air around them as the morning sun washed over them, starting with Iolaus. For a brief moment, Hercules felt Iolaus hair through his fingers and his human body on his lap before the transformation overtook him. Iolaus pushed himself into a sitting position and held out his arm. Hercules, now an eagle, flew onto Iolaus' gauntlet. Iolaus stroked his buddy's chest feathers, content to watch the rest of the sunrise. As he sat on the ground, he thought back to the nightmare he had had. He originally thought that it had been merely a response to all of the horrific incidences that had happened to him lately. But a week into their situation, Hercules had confided in him that he had had the same nightmare. The abyss, the fire, Dahak's laughter…

Iolaus straightened and suddenly shot to his feet, dislodging Hercules who squawked in complaint. Dahak! It was Dahak! It made sense, at least part of it. The burning of his mind, the pain and torture, Iolaus had thought that he would go insane. Dahak had placed this curse on them! Iolaus was sure of it. He could feel the cold, slimy tendrils of the demon. It was different than Sauron, or whatever demon that was plaguing this world. He knew what Dahak felt like. This curse was his work; he had cursed them.

Hercules, who had flown onto the saddle of the horse, was confused. Iolaus turned to the eagle. "Dahak, Hercules. It was Dahak who cursed us!"

Hercules flapped his wings once in confusion. Dahak? They had beaten him. How? Iolaus stalked up to the horse. "Remember the nightmare? A few days after we beat him and the Horsemen? It was then! He cursed us then! I know it!" He shook his head when he felt Hercules' disbelief. "I know what Dahak feels like, remember? This is his work, the madness at least. I'm not sure what exact purpose the animal thing serves. I don't know who sent us here or why. But I do know that this is Dahak's fault, and that he is here, in this world, looking for us."

Hercules felt Iolaus' surety, and he could also feel what his friend was talking about. He could feel the cold sliminess of Dahak's touch. It was subtle, yet Hercules could feel Dahak's power in the curse. Iolaus was right; this curse had the signature of Dahak. Hercules felt a surge of anger toward the demon. They had beaten the damn thing and now this! Hercules wished he was human at that point so he could smash something. He felt so angry and frustrated and knew Iolaus felt that way too. After all they had gone through to stop Dahak, the demon had had the last laugh.

What's more, Hercules could feel Dahak's tendrils in the land. It was small and unassuming, unlike how Sauron flaunted his power and spread it as far as he could. Iolaus was right; Dahak was here. It was almost as if the demon was waiting for Sauron to be out of the picture. These people still had hope; the One Ring or whatever it was called, it still had the hope of being destroyed. It was almost like Dahak was counting on these people to succeed, so he could make his move. If that was true, then this world was in bigger danger than they had originally thought.

He portrayed his thoughts and feelings to Iolaus, who nodded in reluctant agreement. "Damn bastard. He's waiting for these people to boot out Sauron so he can step in. If what Relomis and Tylendal said was true, then before this ring is destroyed their armies are going to suffer serious damage. They'll be ripe for the picking."

Iolaus met his friend's ice blue eyes. "We have to stop him. Even if there is nothing anyone can do, we can't let Dahak sink his teeth into this world. If anything, we have to warn them. I believe that they can defeat Sauron, but Dahak would take them all. We have to get to Gondor. We have to warn _somebody_." His tone was weary and frustrated.

Hercules agreed. They had to reach Gondor, to warn the leaders of this world. Dahak was probably following them, tracking them through his curse. They would have to outrun the demon. As far as they knew he couldn't pinpoint their location, only get a general idea of where they were. They would have to keep moving on. They could no longer stop at villages for extended periods. It would be hard, but it had to be done.

Iolaus ran his hands through his hair. "We don't know how many are chasing us or even if Dahak is able to track us. For all we know the group we ran into were only sent there at random. I think we should avoid villages until we get to Minas Tirith." Hercules bobbed his head in agreement. "We'll probably have to keep going nonstop if we want to outrun that damn demon."

With a mental agreement between the two, Iolaus mounted the horse as Hercules took to the skies. He urged the horse into an easy gallop. He didn't want to kill the horse after all. He followed Hercules, who flew southeast, in the genera; direction to Minas Tirith, the White City. It was supposedly the greatest city of Gondor, home to the Steward of Gondor who currently ruled. Iolaus and Hercules both prayed that they were going in the right direction.

Iolaus rode hard through the next few days, slowing down when the horse needed to and stopping only when absolutely necessary. Hercules occasionally flew down and rested when Iolaus slowed the horse, taking the chance to rest his wings. They ate when they rode, not wanting to take the time to hunt as animals. During the nights, instead of sleeping Hercules either rode or walked beside the horse. Occasionally the demigod would stop by the water so all of them could drink and refresh themselves. The horse worked hard through their exertions and neither man wanted the creature dead; there was no way of getting another horse. There had been very few villages and they had avoided them in fear of running into the acolytes of Dahak. They had no idea how many there were, and how many of that number wore the white cloaks they had seen the acolytes in the previous village wear.

Within a few days they a mountain range had come into view, much to the relief of Hercules and Iolaus. Iolaus stopped the horse in a patch of forest, which grew near the base of the mountains. They would rest for the night. In the morning Iolaus would take the path through the mountains into Gondor. Hercules dubiously eyes the mountains. They had an air of danger and warning to them and they gave Hercules goose bumps. Iolaus glanced up toward the mountains, feeling his partner's anxiety.

Iolaus climbed down from the horse and tied the reins onto a branch. Hercules landed on his partner's outstretched arm and the two waited for sunset.

As they waited, Iolaus took the opportunity to approach Hercules with an issue he had been thinking about. Hercules had questioned him, but the hunter had kept silent about it. Now seemed like as good a time as any to ask the demigod. Besides, this was something they needed to discuss and who knew when they would find a chance to in the future?

Iolaus set a confused Hercules onto a branch low to the ground. Then Iolaus lowered himself into a lotus position, with his legs crossed and his back up against a tree. "Hercules, I have to discuss something with you. Even after sunset, we need to talk about this."

Hercules bobbed his head. He was all ears, curious about the issue that had been bothering his partner. Iolaus took a deep breath and started. "Well, we pretty much figured out that Dahak put this curse on us and the reason is pretty obvious." Hercules bobbed his head again, feeling his partner's hesitancy when discussing Dahak. But Hercules could feel the demon's touch whenever he examined the curse. There was no doubt it was Dahak, getting his last laugh.

Iolaus nodded with his partner, feeling the same revulsion he did whenever he felt Dahak's slimy touch. "But, we don't know for sure who sent us to this world. I doubt it was Dahak, since he is searching for us. We don't know why he is searching for us. Tartarus, we don't know anything except he put this damn curse on us!"

Hercules felt Iolaus' anger, but tried to keep a calming influence. I wouldn't help the situation if Iolaus lost control. Iolaus gave a small smile of thanks and started talking again. "Anyway, to the point, I've been thinking about the future." Hercules cocked his head in confusion. "Say we do get to Gondor and warn Gandalf and these other guys. They may not believe us." Iolaus put up a hand when he felt Hercules start to disagree. "Just hold on. I am not saying that they won't. This Gandalf is a wizard so he should be able to sense something or whatever, I don't know. But anyway, we know that once Sauron is gone then Dahak will move in and we need to warn them and we will. There is a very good chance that they will believe us."

Though Hercules could not speak, Iolaus could hear the unspoken question, 'So why are you so concerned?'

Iolaus sighed and looked at the horizon. He still had some time left. "What I am trying to say Hercules, that even if we tell them about Dahak, and they are able to do something about him, they might not be able to do anything about us." Iolaus shifted his position, his legs drawn up and his arms wrapped around his knees. "What if we can't do anything about the curse? What if we are stuck like this? Or, what happens if the curse is somehow broken and we are back to normal but they can't send us back? This place, it is nothing like the Alternate Universe with the Sovereign. What if they can't send us back home?"

Hercules bowed his head. He too, felt the same desperation and anxiety that was pouring off of his friend in waves. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he too had been asking himself the same questions. His wings slumped as he considered the 'what if's.' Iolaus right. Even if these people could do something about the curse, not even he and Iolaus knew how they got here. Who knew if they could send them back? What happened if nothing could be done about the curse? Could Iolaus and he live like this for the rest of their lives? They had no answers and nothing made sense.

Iolaus' head popped up suddenly as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Hercules too, straightened and flew off the branch and onto the ground next to his partner. Iolaus didn't move; he only sat in the same position, stroking his friend's feathers. After the sun finally set, Iolaus laid his head on Hercules' lap while the demigod stroked his ears.

Hercules shifted a bit so that he was lying on the ground with Iolaus' head on his abdomen. They laid on the ground for several moments, taking solace in the silence. Then Hercules spoke. "I have been thinking about the same thoughts, Iolaus." Iolaus did nothing. "To tell you the truth, I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to think about the possibility that everything might not turn out okay. But I know that I'll have to consider it. We'll have to consider it."

Hercules sighed. "I don't know what we're going to do. Everything's just so confusing and painful. Nothing makes sense and even in Gondor we may be no closer in finding our answers. Everything just seems so hopeless. If we can't break this curse, I don't even know what we will do." Hercules' voice broke on the last few words, causing Iolaus to raise his head and stare at his partner. A few tears escaped Hercules' ice blue eyes.

"I don't know if I can live like this Iolaus. I cherish our friendship more than anything. I miss it Iolaus. I miss the banter and the jokes. I miss the arguments and the laughter. I miss just talking to you. It hurts that I can't even hold you as a human, just sling my arms around your shoulder like I used to. And I don't know if I can live if either one of us succumbs to the madness." Hercules used his free hand to wipe the tears from his face. "I can feel it Iolaus. It's like a black slime that's eating away at me. I can control it, but I don't know if I can do it for the rest of my life, however long that may be.

"And that is another thing. How long am I going to live? I have godly blood in my veins. Does that mean I am immortal? Am I going to live on after you die? Because I can't handle that. I know that if you die again I won't survive it. I won't. If you die, then I know that the madness is going to win, whether the curse is gone or not."

Hercules completely broke down, his body shaking with the force of his sobs. Iolaus buried his head into Hercules' neck, snuggling as close as he could to his brother. Hercules wrapped his arms around Iolaus, clinging on as tight as he could without hurting him as he cried out his pain and his fear.

Sometime later, Iolaus felt Hercules' breathing even out and the cougar knew that Hercules had fallen asleep. He didn't move from his close proximity to Hercules. He too, needed to comfort the closeness would bring. He felt Hercules' pain as his own through their bond. The intensity of it made him feel as thought a million knives stabbed at his heart. Iolaus shifted so that his body was closer to Hercules, almost on top of the demigod.

As he lay there, he thought about some of the things Hercules had said. How long would he live? If Hercules wasn't outright immortal, then how long would he live? Would he have an extended lifespan? Iolaus didn't know and wasn't sure he wanted to know. Iolaus knew what his death would do to the demigod. He knew what Hercules went through when he did the last time. He wasn't sure if his friend was going to survive that one.

Iolaus then firmly pushed the thought out of his mind. Whether or not Hercules was immortal, the answer was a long time coming. They would cross that bridge when they came to it. Iolaus would tell Hercules just that come morning. In the meanwhile, they had to think positively. There was always a cure for every curse, wasn't there? It had to be in the rules, right by the one that said that for souls to be rescued then it had to be done by sunset.

Iolaus huffed. Who made these rules?

To Iolaus, the more burning question was what were they going to do if they couldn't go back home? Despite the obvious issues with demons and monsters (now that Iolaus thought about it, it wasn't too different from his own world), this world was actually a pretty nice place. Granted, the only country they had seen so far was Rohan, but even that was a beautiful country.

And Iolaus liked the people of Rohan. In many ways, Iolaus could compare them with his own people of Greece. They were strong, stubborn people and Iolaus could easily relate to them and he knew Hercules could as well. Iolaus would have no real problems passing off as one of them, with his blonde hair and athletic stature. His height might raise a few questions, but most would probably assume he was of Rohan. Hercules' height was closer to the physique of Rohan people, and they might even get away with his dark, honey hair. Iolaus had seen one or two people with a similar shade. All in all, if they chose to do so, they could probably pass themselves off as people of Rohan and live there.

Iolaus turned this thought over and over in his mind. Why couldn't they do it, if there was no other option? If they couldn't get home, why not settle down in Rohan? They wouldn't have to do so immediately. Iolaus wanted to travel this new world a bit, see more of the countries and the people of this world. He was intrigued about the elves. They seemed so dissimilar from the elves of his world, which were tricky blighters and couldn't be trusted to watch your dog.

But these elves seemed to be different and Iolaus wanted to learn more about them before all of them left to go wherever if the rumors were true. There was a whole new world to explore and from what it looked like, they might just have the chance to do it. He would have to bring this up with Hercules and see what he thought, when they were both more ready to face this possible reality. Iolaus snuggled closer to Hercules and fell asleep, taking solace from the presence of his brother.

The boys discover Dahak's horrifying involvement and move ever closer to Gondor. What awaits them there? Will they find friends...or enemies?

Next Chapter: The full extent of Dahak's curse is revealed. Stay tuned!

Please R&R. No flames! Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Looking for jobs sucks. Still no luck. *Sigh* I will try to update my other fics as soon as I find my muse...wherever she is. Sneaky little brat.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter Six

Iolaus wanted to pull out his hair. He was pacing next to the horse, trying futilely to read the map they had gotten back in the first village they had come across since entering this world. It was a crude, badly drawn one and Iolaus couldn't make right or left of it. If it hadn't been for the old woman's directions the two of them would have never gotten so close to Edoras.

Hercules was perched on his shoulder. He tried to read the map over Iolaus' shoulder and was having no better luck than the hunter, partly because the hunter kept moving and Hercules was using most of is concentration to stay balanced. He could feel Iolaus' frustration and annoyance with the piece of parchment and quite frankly Hercules wasn't too far behind. Ever since morning, the two of them had been trying to find the way through the mountains to reach Gondor. They had found the path, but they had quickly gotten lost. So far, the way through the mountains eluded them.

Iolaus gave a strangled cry of frustration and anger. He crumpled the map and threw it away from him. "This is hopeless!" He cried. "This map is useless! We'd have better luck finding water in Tartarus! This isn't a path, it's a damn labyrinth!" He slumped down to the ground, against a boulder. Hercules flew from his shoulder and onto the horse, giving a squawk of what Iolaus guessed would have been a supportive statement if he was human. It was either that or an order to retrieve the map. Either way, Iolaus did not want to hear it.

He turned toward the bird. "Can't you fly and find the way or something? The army from Rohan was supposed to have passed through here already. There should be some remnants of a campsite. Plus, who knows how long we have? From what the guys at the tavern told us, the army only left a few days before we got there. There has to be something! I'm going crazy here!"

Hercules squawked again, translating his thoughts to Iolaus. The blonde needed to calm down. Yes, it was frustrating but taking his anger out on him was not going to help. He could feel the dark cloud of madness try and use the anger Iolaus was venting to gain some control. Hercules mentally pushed at Iolaus more firmly to get him to pay attention. Iolaus visibly began to calm and Hercules felt some of the anger dissipate, the dark cloud retreating back into the depths where Iolaus held it under his control.

Iolaus smiled a weak grin at the eagle. "Sorry buddy. I'm just so tired, so tense. It's like every little thing will set me off. All of this is just wearing down on me." He stood up and stroked Hercules' feathers. "I know it's frustrating for you too, buddy. Guess we just have to do what we always do, huh?"

Hercules flew off of the horse and back onto Iolaus shoulder. He wrapped one wing around his head, reminiscent of when the demigod used to wrap and arm around his shoulders. Iolaus smiled. "Thanks pal. Okay, what do you say we just keep on going down the main path? Can you fly ahead and give me clues at least to where it might lead?"

Hercules bobbed his head and took off. Iolaus climbed back onto the saddle and urged the horse into a trot. Hercules flew overhead, sending images to Iolaus about various paths but not flying too far ahead. They didn't know what kind of danger Dahak might have spawned besides his human followers and they didn't want to be separated. When Iolaus came to an intersection, Hercules flew down each one until he found a path that looked to be correct. By noon, Iolaus could see the end of the pass through the mountains.

He looked up toward his buddy, who was circling above him. "Great job Herc! I can see the end of the pass! We'll be in Minas Tirith by tomorrow morning at least!"

The hunter smiled at the answering eagle cry. He urged the horse on a little faster. He wanted to get away from these creepy mountains. They sent shivers up and down his spine and he couldn't help the queasy feeling in his stomach. His warrior's instincts were on high alert and from the corners of his eyes he kept watch on everything. In the back of his mind he sorted through images Hercules sent from his view above. As they came closer to the end of the path Iolaus felt that someone, or something, was watching them and it got worse as they went along.

Suddenly there was a flash of warning from Hercules. Before Iolaus could react the horse reared and whinnied, throwing the hunter to the ground. Immediately Iolaus sprang to his feet and drew his sword, hearing a crunch as hooves made contact with a skull. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and swung his sword, decapitating the creature that had attacked him. He barely took notice of the dead body as another charged at him. He quickly dodged out of the way and turned to face the creature. Out from the rocks, two more had joined it. They were huge, wolf-like creatures almost as big as a horse. Their teeth looked as though it could easily tear a man to pieces.

Iolaus kept his eye on the three in front of him, sword at the ready as they slowly stalked towards him. He tried to keep his breathing steady and was careful not to show any fear. He had faced similar creatures before, and so it wasn't difficult to keep his fear masked. But he was nervous facing down these creatures alone. He could feel Hercules on the edge of his awareness, but he blocked it out of his mind. He didn't want Hercules to feel his nervousness and he wanted to keep his mind focused. With a chuckle he recalled the fallen corpse of another creature, felled by the horse's hooves. Said horse had now trotted to the side and away from danger.

One suddenly charged at him and Iolaus dodged to the side, bringing up his sword in an arc, slashing the beast through its side. The beast howled in pain and writhed on the ground where it fell, while Iolaus turned to face the remaining two. He knew how deeply he had gotten the first; it would be dead soon. The remaining two ignored their dying companion, instead focused on trying to surround Iolaus. Iolaus backed up, determined to keep both monsters in his sight.

He suddenly felt Hercules' presence enter his awareness. An image of the large eagle flashed in his mind. He saw a fourth creature, high up on the rocks, leaping for Hercules. Iolaus watched in horror as Hercules dived talons first toward it, only to be knocked away by a massive paw. He saw his best friend fall among the rocks, body broken and bloody. He crowed in pain as he felt the demigod's wounds as if they were his own. He felt sick with horror as the demigod fell from the sky, landing painfully on a pile of rocks. Just as the bird landed, Iolaus' connection with him went dark.

Iolaus dropped his sword in shock. His body felt numb from the sudden loss. It was as though the other half of him was suddenly torn away, leaving a gaping hole where it once was. It was like an abyss eroding his mind and soul.

The beasts seemed to smile with the thought of an easy prey, and moved to strike. The one that had felled Hercules had jumped down to join them. They began to slowly circle the still hunter and move in for the kill.

Iolaus threw back his head and screamed. It was unearthly, piercing the air like needles of ice. The creatures faltered and took steps backward, slightly frightened by the intensity of his scream. The very air danced as Iolaus let out an otherworldly cry that was merely an echo of the pain in his soul.

Iolaus felt as though his world had ended. He now knew of the pain Hercules had felt as the demigod had held his dead, broken body in Sumeria. His soul had been torn to pieces and his grief was unimaginable. He felt the dark cloud of madness break free of his control and envelop him…and he invited it. He welcomed the madness with open arms, welcoming the darkness into his broken heart and shattered soul. All cognitive and rational thought fled his mind as madness took over. Like slime it seeped into every crack in his mind and into every pore of his being. He felt it empower him, felt it envelop his being with darkness as he spiraled into the depths of insanity.

His screams gave way to growls of fury, animalistic and savage. He howled with anger and stared down his opponents, eyes blood red and shining with madness. He locked eyes with his enemies; he felt the fear emanating from them. The beasts fled in terror from the madness in Iolaus' eyes but he would give them no quarter. With a savage growl he lunged after his opponents, catching one by its hind legs. With a strength powered by madness he tore into the creature without mercy. He beat back the claws and desperate struggles for freedom and ravaged the beast relentlessly.

Somewhere, deep in the farthest recesses of his mind, Iolaus felt the wrongness of what he was doing. But he couldn't bring himself to care. The madness had him so far in its grip that all he could think about was the blood on his hands and body, the feel of ripping his enemy to pieces…of avenging his brother. As he destroyed his enemy he still felt the pain of loss deep within his soul. Only the fury and madness kept him from crying out again in pain and sorrow.

Soon he was standing above his enemy, barely recognizable. His eyes were bright and red and glowing as the madness enveloped him further in its taint. He was covered in blood and pieces of torn flesh from his vanquished foe and he threw back his head and gave a triumphant roar. His maddened eyes frantically sought out his next victim, eager for more blood and carnage.

He felt a prickling on the edge of his awareness, like an annoying blood fly. He swapped it away and searched for more of his opponents. But it kept persisting. It was a prickle on the back of his neck. But the madness kept it tempered, chased it away. He searched around until he spotted the horse, still skittish from the events from before but had not run away yet. Iolaus grinned savagely and began to stalk his newest prey when the prickling came back, more persistent and a tad bit stronger. Iolaus growled as he tried to swipe away the annoying feeling, but it would not be easily vanquished.

Suddenly an image flashed in Iolaus' mind, an image of a battered eagle lying injured upon the rocks. For a moment Iolaus smiled with the thought of easy prey but then felt violently sick at the thought of harming the creature. He felt the madness begin to recede but tried to hold onto it. Anything was better than the pain of losing his best friend. But as the image began to get clearer and stronger Iolaus felt the madness being pushed back, weakly, by another force.

Iolaus was frozen in sock as he realized where the force was coming from. Hercules! He was still alive! Frantically Iolaus put all his effort into pushing back the madness from his mind, to purge himself of its control. He was brought to his knees from the effort, but with the combined effort of the two friends Iolaus brought the madness back within his control and collapsed to the ground, panting from the effort.

He lay there for several moments, basking in the wondrous knowledge that Hercules was alive. He felt the demigod's worry and relief through their bond, relief that Iolaus was alright. Through their bond, Iolaus assessed Hercules' situation. The demigod was not too badly hurt and could still fly; he had only been unconscious from the fall. Apparently some traits from his half-god heritage carry on when he was an eagle. Iolaus pushed himself to his knees as he felt Hercules slowly and carefully take off.

As Iolaus looked around him the haziness and fog that had remained in his mind dissipated suddenly as the memories of what he had done came crashing back. He stared at the bloody corpse in horror, and then glanced down at himself. He promptly vomited when he caught sight of himself covered in blood and gore. Soon tears were mixed in with the vomit as Iolaus realized the extent of which the madness had overtaken him, how far he had let it into his mind. Iolaus scrambled to get away from the blood and flesh but he found himself to be exhausted having used all of his strength and energy, powered by the madness, to tear apart his enemy. He collapsed to the ground and remained there, sobbing and screaming himself hoarse with horror and self-revulsion at what he had done.

Faintly, he felt Hercules' worry and anxiety and he was barely aware that Hercules had touched down next to him. He felt the horror from Hercules as he saw the remains of what Iolaus had done to the beast and the thought that Hercules may despise him for giving in so easily to the madness made Iolaus sob harder.

Instantly Hercules turned his attention to his friend. He pushed back the horror and focused on helping Iolaus. The blonde was traumatized by what he had done and it hurt Hercules to see his friend this way. But he couldn't get through to him; Iolaus was too deep in despair and self-revulsion. All Hercules could do was lay his wing on Iolaus in a comforting fashion and try to transmit calming, soothing feelings to Iolaus.

Iolaus felt Hercules try to push something into his mind. Iolaus was too lost in despair to recognize the soothing feelings and instead felt the undercurrent of horror that Hercules felt at the scene. Forcefully Iolaus pushed the demigod out of his mind as his worst fears erupted from his heart. He couldn't face the demigod's rejection and scorn though deep down the hunter knew he deserved it. He was a monster; he had allowed the madness to overtake him without hesitation. He had killed so brutally and no better than as if he was an animal. He didn't know how Hercules could stand to be anywhere near him now. He felt tainted, like he had been dipped in something vile. He was sickened with himself and terrified at what he was capable of.

Hercules had been pushed out of his buddy's mind so violently that the eagle took one step backwards. Hercules' fear and sorrow deepened when he had felt the hunter's fears. Iolaus had caught the small tinge of horror Herc had felt and had misinterpreted what Hercules had been trying to do. With a heavy heart he surmised that Iolaus must have felt that the demigod hated him for what he had done.

He felt so helpless, standing there while Iolaus sobbed uncontrollably, no longer able to scream and dry of tears. They remained there for several hours: Iolaus curled up on the ground with Hercules standing by his side. By dusk Iolaus had succumbed to exhaustion and was unconscious. Hercules turned his head toward the sinking sun, watching it as it dipped below the horizon. As he felt the change he turned back to Iolaus. He saw Iolaus' body shimmer and disappear, replaced by the cougar. He reached out with his now human hands and gently stroked the golden fur that was surprisingly devoid of blood. Hercules wondered about it but pushed the thought away. He had to take care of Iolaus now.

He gently picked the cougar up, cradling Iolaus in his powerful arms. He made his way toward the horse, which had not run away throughout the whole ordeal and was not disturbed by blood or bodies. Apparently Rohan bred horses were made of stronger stock than ordinary horses. After rearranging the saddle and blankets he laid Iolaus on top of the horse, covering the cougar's body with a spare blanket. Then he led the horse out of the mountain path and far away from the bloodbath.

He stopped by a river and made camp. From his reckoning, they could be in Minas Tirith by tomorrow in the late morning. But for now Iolaus was his primary concern. Hercules himself was fine; his superior healing abilities was obviously a trait that carried into when he was an eagle. He had been unconscious for a while after the beast had thrown him from the air and onto the rocks. When he had awoken he searched for Iolaus through their bond and was shocked at what he had found. He had felt the taint of the madness surging through his friend like a torrent, corrupting him and enveloping every inch of the hunter's mind. Hercules had been frightened for his friend and a little for himself as he felt the taint try to spread to him through their bond.

He had seen the carnage through Iolaus' eyes, filtered through madness and blood. He had frantically pushed for control, pushing harder each time he was swatted away until he had gotten through to the hunter. He had felt the horror from Iolaus when the madness was pushed back. As Iolaus had come to realize what he had done Hercules felt the self-revulsion hit him like a hammer. He had felt Iolaus' pain and despair and had flown down to comfort him. It had hurt Hercules when he felt Iolaus push away the comfort he had tried to send the hunter.

Hercules knew he had a challenge on his hands. Iolaus had truly believed that Hercules had been killed and that grief had given the madness free reign to take control. He did not blame the hunter for what had happened. For Hercules the blame lied with himself. He knew it was grief at his supposed death that allowed for the madness to take Iolaus. Hercules felt overwhelming guilt at what he had caused; even more so when he knew that Iolaus was blaming himself for what had happened. He would be here to help Iolaus and he would not allow the hunter to push him away. They would get past this; they had to.

It frightened Hercules to see how far the taint of the madness could take them. They kept such tight control over it, but now Hercules saw that at the right times it was nothing more than thin reeds as it barreled down on them. It was frightening to know that even a slight slip up could lead to what happened with Iolaus today.

Hercules shuddered. He sat in front of the campfire, Iolaus in his lap and the horse tied to a tree. He held Iolaus close to him, but not tight enough so that his sleep was disturbed. Iolaus needed to rest and recover. He stroked the soft golden fur of his best friend, contemplating. He knew Iolaus better than he knew himself. He knew that Iolaus would try and push him away, believing that he would despise him for going mad. He would try to block off any comfort the demigod would give him and left alone, the hunter would fall into a depression that would ultimately end in tragedy.

Hercules would burn in Tartarus before that happened.

When Iolaus awoke, whether it be daylight or not, he would be there for the hunter offering support and comfort. He would not let the blonde push him away. He would make sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that Iolaus no longer blamed himself or thought the demigod hated him. It would take time and a lot of effort on both their parts and the whole mess with Dahak and Sauron and whatever was going on with this world wasn't going to make things any easier. But if there was anything Hercules excelled at it was stubbornness and when it came to Iolaus and his welfare, you might as well try to make a mountain bend to the wind.

As Hercules stared into the fire, he remembered a conversation he had had with the hunter only last night about their future. He had meant what he had said to Iolaus that night. Just the mere idea of Iolaus not being with him made his soul shriek in terror. If, Gods forbid, he were to lose Iolaus, Hercules knew that he would not survive it if what happened the last time was any indication. Iolaus was a part of him, a vital piece of his being. He couldn't lose Iolaus, especially not to this. If he did, Hercules wasn't sure if there would be anything left of him for the madness to take over. He tightened his grip on Iolaus only slightly. He would not lose Iolaus. Nothing would take the hunter away from him.

Please R&R. No flames! Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Looking for jobs sucks. Still no luck. *Sigh* I will try to update my other fics as soon as I find my muse...*takes out the mouse traps*.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter Seven

When Iolaus awoke he was lying on a blanket by a river. There were the remains of a campfire, the horse was tied to a tree and Hercules was sleeping next to him. His feathers were ruffled and his head was tucked under one wing. In Iolaus' opinion the demigod looked very cute. With a smile he reached out and gently stroked Hercules' feathers. Hercules stirred but did not awaken.

Iolaus heaved himself up, taking notice of his aching muscles. He felt as though he had wrestled with a titan and lost. His head was pounding, his throat hurt and he felt nauseous. He checked himself over. There were no bruises, no injuries, nothing to explain the aches and pains he felt and the fact that his throat felt as though he had screamed himself hoarse. He racked his brain, trying to remember if anything had happened to make him feel this way but he kept coming up with blanks. It was as if a shroud had been cast over his recent memories. He remembered the mountain pass, but he didn't remember leaving it or coming to this river. He absentmindedly stroked Hercules' feathers as he tried to conjure up the elusive memories. It was not an easy task. His head felt as though Ares had been using it as a drum. The last coherent thing he could remember was fighting those beasts, then Hercules-

Suddenly the shroud dissipated and Iolaus began to remember what he had done. He flung himself away from Hercules with a sharp cry, unaware that his sudden change in emotion had alerted the demigod and awoken him. Frantically Iolaus shuffled away from his friend and curled up in a fetal position, screaming hoarsely in horror and self-revulsion.

"Oh gods! How could I- what did I-What did I do! OH GODS, WHAT DID I DO?!!!"

Hercules let out a sharp cry and flew towards the shrieking Iolaus. The sudden emotional disturbance had awoken the demigod, who now feared for his friend. Iolaus continued to shriek in horror of what he had done and Hercules' fear had turned to panic. But he forced himself to remain calm for Iolaus. It wouldn't help if they were both in a state. Iolaus remained curled on the ground, his head buried in his arms. He had stopped screaming as his throat could no longer stand it and instead was sobbing.

Hercules landed beside Iolaus' head and gently laid a wing on his arm. Iolaus moved to push it away but Hercules held fast. He would not be startled or pushed away this time. He tried connecting with Iolaus through their bond, conveying calming and soothing feelings. He felt Iolaus try to block him, but the demigod proved that his mental strength was not inferior to his physical strength. He persisted until he pushed through to the turbulent emotions that were tormenting Iolaus.

He felt himself enter Iolaus' mind, just as he had done the first day they had come to this world. He was inside Iolaus' mind, all of the emotions that Iolaus felt Herc felt as his own. It took effort, but he managed to maintain a block so that Iolaus' emotions would not overwhelm him. He saw the memories of the previous day play over and over again in the hunter's mind. It made Hercules nauseous, but it was easily pushed aside by the sympathy and empathy he felt for his best friend. Iolaus needed his help, needed his comfort even if the hunter did not think so. Despite what had happened and despite what Iolaus felt, Hercules would not abandon him. Iolaus needed to know that.

Concentrating, Hercules summoned his concern, his sympathy for the hunter's plight, his care and his love, and released the block he had around himself. He felt the tidal wave of Iolaus' emotions, but he was stronger. He had to be. He let loose his emotions of care and comfort, feeling them immerse Iolaus, pushing away the fear and doubt. Persistently, he kept reassuring Iolaus, letting him feel the love Hercules felt for him and the knowledge that the demigod would never, ever abandon him.

Iolaus felt his feeble attempts to block out Hercules crumble under the demigod'ssuperior mental strength. He tensed at the sudden invasion of his mind, surprised that Hercules would do such a thing. He felt fear for Hercules' safety. He couldn't let Herc near him anymore, who knew what could happen? He could snap and attack Hercules next time. He almost the last time. Those thoughts made him retreat deeper into himself, deeper into his self-decrepitation.

Maybe Hercules didn't want to be around him anymore. What if he was trying to snap the bond between them? What if he was truly disgusted and horrified by what Iolaus had done and couldn't stand to be connected to him anymore? Those thoughts hurt the worst, like hot knives being stabbed into his heart. If Hercules would abandon him…

Suddenly all of his dark thoughts and emotions were pushed aside by a tidal wave of new emotions. Iolaus gasped as he felt himself flooded by feelings of comfort, compassion and love. It was a few moments before he could coherently figure out that they were coming from Hercules. He felt the all-consuming and deep love the demigod felt for him, the compassion and sympathy he felt for the blonde's situation. Tears began to fall anew from his eyes. Iolaus felt as though his heart would burst when he felt the absolute assurance that the brother of his soul would never abandon him.

Slowly, Hercules began to feel Iolaus accept and absorb the emotions and comfort Hercules was sending to him. Hercules' heart lifted when he felt the dark emotions of doubt and revulsion being swept away. He felt Iolaus embrace Hercules' presence within his mind, clinging to the comfort and support that he desperately needed. The demigod still felt a seed of doubt in Iolaus' heart, but the demigod fervently pushed it down where it would no longer plague Iolaus.

As he felt Iolaus embrace his presence, he in turn allowed himself to be absorbed into Iolaus' mind, still providing the comfort and love Iolaus needed. Their minds were one, emotions and feelings rushing in a torrent between them. Iolaus felt he love and support from Hercules who in turn sensed the love the hunter felt for the demigod. For what seemed an eternity they remained melded in this way, minds and souls as one, their hearts beginning to beat to the same rhythm.

Then Iolaus felt Hercules begin to pull back. At first the hunter quailed at the very thought, tightening his hold on his best friend. He didn't want this contact to end, to leave a void that would leave him feeling incomplete. But then he sensed what Hercules did as well. The madness was hovering on the brink of their control like an ominous cloud waiting to consume them both. Though he wanted to prolong the experience Iolaus too began to pull back from their union until they were once again separate, connected only through their bond and the madness was pushed away again.

Iolaus opened his eyes groggily, like awaking from a deep sleep. He unfolded himself from the uncomfortable position he had been laying in and slowly sat up, glancing around. He saw Hercules in eagle form right by his side. The demigod's feathers were rumpled and Iolaus figured that he looked even worse. With a bright smile he smoothed down the rumpled feathers, much to Hercules' delight.

"Thanks buddy." He said to the eagle. His voice was slightly hoarse from screaming, but in those two words he was able to convey the immense gratitude and love he felt for Hercules. The eagle looked back with watery eyes and let out a cheerful cry. True, Hercules could still feel the doubt within Iolaus, but he was now assured that the hunter was no longer tormented by it. He spread his wings wide with joy, suppressing the urge to take off in flight and do cartwheels in the sky.

Iolaus smiled at Hercules and hopped to his feet. He stretched out his limbs with audible cracking and turned to the dying fire. To his delight, there was a rabbit cooling by the fire. He spared Herc a smile before pouncing on the rabbit. It was colder than he would have liked but he was so hungry that he didn't care. As he devoured the rabbit Hercules watched with a caring eye. He had eaten before he had transformed and had prepared the second rabbit for Iolaus when he awakened. Though he knew one rabbit was not enough to satisfy his ravenous partner he had been reluctant to leave his friend's side. He spread his wings again and flew up to sit upon the horse's saddle, which was snoozing in the morning sun.

He was content to watch Iolaus eat and regain his strength. He hoped that the hunter would opt to stay for a while longer, but he knew Iolaus would do no such thing. They had a job to do and it needed to be done as soon as possible. If Hercules knew anything about his stubborn partner, it was that as soon as he was done, they would be off.

As Iolaus ate his breakfast, he thought back to a particular incident the day before. He steadfastly refused to think about the beasts and what had happened to him. He knew the demigod did not blame him, or hate him, and so Iolaus had felt much of his grief and self-revulsion melt away. Now Iolaus was concerned at how quickly it had happened. He had thought Hercules was dead and had allowed the grief to take control. It frightened him, as he knew it frightened Hercules that such a thing could happen so easily. They would have to be extra careful from now on, but it was not going to be easy.

But Iolaus pushed those thoughts to the side. Instead he focused on another dilemma that neither of them had seen before. The other day, Hercules had attempted to comfort him. Now Iolaus knew this, but yesterday he had misinterpreted the feelings Hercules had tried to send him and pushed him away. He was sorry that he had hurt his friend this way, but knew that Hercules forgave him. But it raised the issue of how effective relaying thoughts and feelings alone really was. Such things, as Iolaus had now figured out, could be very easily mistranslated and could lead to disaster. This particular event had been in just about every sense settled, and Iolaus was no longer deluded about the demigod's feelings.

But what if something worse happened? What if Iolaus or Hercules misinterpreted something the other was trying to send to him, and the result was worse that what happened the other day? The more Iolaus thought about it, the more determined he was that the two of them seek another source of communication. They needed something that would be more reliable than emotions and vague thoughts. Not for the first time, Iolaus wished that they could talk when they were in animal form. At the very least, he had thought that Hercules would have been able to talk with his divine blood.

Iolaus recalled the incident where Discord had been turned into a chicken courtesy of Artemis' bow. She could not talk then, although Ares had been able to understand her. Iolaus chuckled at the remembered incident, seeing the goddess transformed into a harmless fowl. Of course then he had been handcuffed naked to Autolycus for the remainder of the day not to mention that the once harmless chicken had grown to an enormous size and had attempted to crush him.

As he remembered the incident he recalled the earlier commotion the bow had caused. While he had struck Discord cleanly with an arrow from the enchanted bow, Discord had been a lousy shot when she aimed one at Hercules and it had only grazed the demigod. Hercules then had fallen into a deep slumber instead of having the intended effect of turning him into an animal. For a brief moment, Iolaus wondered what kind of animal Hercules would have turned into. A pig in a replica of Hercules' clothing suddenly sprung to mind.

Hercules cocked his head with a dumbfounded expression as Iolaus rolled on the ground laughing uncontrollably. The hunter had been thinking about something important and Hercules had been curious but had not wanted to intrude on his thinking. Suddenly Iolaus had gone from a serious brainstorm to a laughing fit. The hunter giggled helplessly as he clutched his ribs, his legs kicking in the air. He tried to get control of himself as he felt Hercules' confusion but every time he glanced at the eagle he would burst out laughing again.

Now Hercules' eyes were narrowed. He saw the way Iolaus started laughing again every time he glanced at him. Whatever Iolaus was laughing at, it was about the demigod. Now he wanted to know what was so funny. He tried to get a peek at what Iolaus was thinking, but he felt Iolaus clamp down on his mind, keeping Hercules out. Iolaus' giggled grew worse as he tried to keep him out, obviously not wanting Hercules to see what he was thinking. Hercules pushed harder, but Iolaus steadfastly kept him out. He laughed harder as he felt the demigod's frustration as he tried to figure out what was so funny.

Hercules gave out a squawk of indignation as Iolaus continued to laugh helplessly. Iolaus, taking pity on his partner, pushed away the mental image and got himself under control. He sat up and grinned at the frustrated eagle, which was now glaring at the hunter. Iolaus waved away the glare with a simple motion and bounded to his feet. His mind was now back on his initial problem. He had a solution formed in his mind and now he wanted to share it with Hercules.

"Herc, we got to talk about something." He said as he approached the horse. The eagle cocked its head, but waited for Iolaus to continue. "Something happened yesterday that we need to discuss." He shook his head as Hercules' worry grew. "Not about _that_. I don't really want to discuss that for a long while. No, I'm talking about what happened after."

Hercules was still confused and let Iolaus know he did. Iolaus grinned and sat on the ground, motioning for Herc to join him. Hercules flew down from the horse and onto Iolaus' shoulder, being careful so that he didn't harm the hunter. Iolaus gave him a small scratch before he continued.

"Yesterday, when I was a sobbing mess, I know you tried to comfort me. Of course being the emotional wreck that I was I pushed you away. I misinterpreted what you were trying to do and probably caused more grief than I intended. I'm not trying to make either of us feel guilty for something we shouldn't so let's not go into that. My point is that I'm starting to believe that our previous method of communication is not very reliable all the time."

Not reliable? Hercules though back to the incident in question and realized that Iolaus had a point. Emotions and vague thoughts were open to misinterpretation as they had demonstrated the other day. But how else were they going to communicate? It wasn't as though either of them could talk when they were animals. What did Iolaus have in mind?

Iolaus smiled as he felt what Herc was thinking. "So you agree with me. Now, I'm not saying we should abandon this method since it does work. I just think we should try another way, for more serious things that can't be left to a wrong translation." Iolaus could feel Herc's question, _'__What did you have in mind?'_

The blonde smiled. "Simple. Notes."

Notes? Hercules blinked and stared at Iolaus when the hunter was not more forthcoming. When he continued to remain silent he gently whapped the hunter on his head with a wing. Iolaus giggled and stroked Hercules' head.

"What I mean is, Herc," he said. "If we have something the other absolutely needs to know that can't be relayed like we normally do then we leave a note in a predetermined place for the other to find. I have some ink, a quill and some parchment and all we would need to do is decide on a place where we can leave the note for the other to find."

Hercules was confused. He understood the idea Iolaus was propositioning, but what real use would it be? He understood the use for when he was human, because most of the time they were asleep after Hercules turned back into a man. In that way, leaving notes would be useful but why would Iolaus need to make use of them? After all, they could just talk to one another couldn't they?  
Iolaus saw the doubt in Herc's eyes and shook his head. "Herc let me ask you something." He saw that he had Herc's attention. "Do you understand me in this form? I know you understand what I'm saying to you, but do you understand the _words_? As an eagle, do you grasp language? I don't know about you buddy, but when I'm a cougar I don't understand a lick of the words you say. All I understand is the intent, so to speak."

Hercules stared blankly at Iolaus for several moments. Then his eyes widened as he realized what Iolaus was talking about. When he was an animal, his mind retained a great deal of his humanity. In just about every sense, he was human in mind though his body was that of an eagle. But now that he thought about it he realized that he understood exactly what Iolaus was talking about.

Though his mind was generally human, he was still an animal and animals don't understand the human language. When Iolaus or someone else spoke, the words were translated in his head to something an eagle would understand, but Hercules' human self was still able to understand what Iolaus was saying. It was similar to understanding the words, but different at the same time. It was more like he was understanding how an eagle would interpret the words then putting them back into something a person would understand.

As this realization dawned, Hercules began to grow fonder of the idea of notes. As accurate as they understood one another, it still left some room for error. It went back to the issue of vague thoughts. By leaving and writing notes, they could have some semblance of normal dialogue between them. Though it wouldn't be exactly the same, it would be closer to what they had before this. Hercules was willing to try it.

He bobbed his head once to Iolaus, conveying his willingness to go along with his idea. Iolaus smiled brightly. "Alright! I knew that you'd see it my way. Luckily for us, I bought some parchment and things when we stopped in that first village. It should be enough for a while and once we get to Minas Tirith we can go from there." Then Iolaus stood, carefully balancing Hercules on his shoulder. "But speaking of the white city, I think we should get going."

_I knew it._ Hercules thought with a triumphant look in his eyes. He flew off of Iolaus' shoulder and took to the skies, waiting for Iolaus. The blonde broke up the campsite and prepared the horse for departure. He turned a critical eye to the sun's position and toward the direction of Minas Tirith. He frowned in thought, nodded to himself, and then swung up on the horse.

"If we keep going we should reach the city by lunchtime. After that it's just a matter of getting an audience or whatever with Gandalf and the other men. Though I have no idea how we're going to do that." Iolaus admitted with a cringe. Hercules wasn't surprised. Iolaus was not normally one for making plans beyond the, 'let's jump out and see what happens,' stage. Though Hercules had no idea of how to go about getting an audience with these important men he gathered that it would not be easy. They had no idea about the condition of the city and the progress of the war.

Hercules could still feel the taint of Sauron in the land and that Dahak had not yet made his move. That was some assurance. But they needed to move fast and they needed a plan that didn't involve getting thrown into jail or being shish-kababed by javelins and swords. For all he knew, Iolaus' plan was to run up to the nearest guard and punch his lights out. Wouldn't be the first time he's done that but during those times it was a diversion. Hercules doubted it would work in this case.

Iolaus shrugged nonchalantly. "Ah, well. We'll figure something out even if I have to hit someone to do it." Hercules turned an incredulous eye toward the hunter, who responded with a cheeky grin before setting off. Mentally Hercules chuckled. He would have to get better at guarding his thoughts against a certain nosy hunter.

Iolaus rode straight through the rest of the morning, not stopping once. Hercules flew overhead, close enough to keep an eye on Iolaus but far enough so that no one who was watching would think an eagle was following a man on horseback. No need to arouse anyone's suspicions, especially those with the wrong eyes. That was the last thing they needed. Hercules highly doubted Iolaus wanted to see any more acolytes of Dahak. He certainly didn't.

Hercules shook those thoughts away and flew ahead of Iolaus. He had heard much about the White City and confessed to an urge to see it. He had heard that it was beautiful from a distance, white towers and battlements carved into a mountain. He had heard that the people of Minas Tirith spent everyday in the shadow of Mordor, that they could see the black gate from the city itself. Hercules felt respect and sympathy for these people. He couldn't imagine living so near a place of evil to a point where you probably forgot it was even there. He hoped that once Sauron and Dahak were gone that the people would no longer have to fear the darkness of Mordor.

As Hercules flew overhead, the gleaming city of Minas Tirith came into view. Hercules was in awe of the city. He had seen many beautiful cities before, but none of them held the splendor of Minas Tirith. Gleaming white stone, carved right out of the mountain formed the entire city. Hercules had to stop himself from flying headlong toward it just to get a closer glimpse at the city. As Iolaus rode over the rise and into sight of the city Hercules felt his awe. He opened up his link with Iolaus, allowing the hunter to see what he saw from the skies.

"Damn." Was all Iolaus could say as Hercules' vision filled his mind's eye. He stopped the horse on the rise, admiring the city from both his and Herc's point of view. Then the vision in his mind faded as Hercules returned to sit on the pommel of Iolaus' saddle. Iolaus stroked the feathers while sporting a huge smile.

"This is it buddy! We made it. Now all we have to do is somehow get an audience with whoever's in charge. Got any ideas?"

The eagle shook its head and Iolaus sighed. "Well, I guess we can make it up as we go along then. First we have to get into the city before we can do anything. Let's go."

Hercules took to the air again and Iolaus rode off toward the city. He set the horse at a quick pace but not so much that he looked like a frantic madman. But he did want to get to Minas Tirith quickly. The sooner they got there, the better.

Suddenly Hercules was thrown from the sky as he was hit was a large surge of energy. Iolaus saw him fall and rushed to catch him when the same wave hit him and he was thrown from his horse with the force of it. The horse reared in fright and galloped from the fallen hunter. Hercules crashed to the ground not far from Iolaus, barely able to slow down his descent enough to merely knock himself unconscious rather than break his neck.

Iolaus lay on the ground quickly losing consciousness. He was barely able to raise his head to see the eruption in the distance. It had come from Mordor, the force that had hit them. Hercules was out for the count and he wasn't far behind. From his link with Hercules, all he could gather was that it had come from a powerful release of energy somewhere in Mordor. As he succumbed to darkness, he wondered if the force meant that Sauron had met his end…or if Dahak had finally caught them.

Please R&R. No flames! Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Looking for jobs sucks. Still no luck. *Sigh* I will try to update my other fics as soon as I find my muse...*takes out the mouse traps*.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter Eight

There was much celebration in the halls of Minas Tirith. The unthinkable had occurred; Sauron was finally destroyed! His forces in Mordor were no more and Middle Earth was at last free from the threat of darkness. For the past several hours there had been nonstop celebration in honor of both Aragorn's wedding and Sauron's defeat. Aragorn, now King of Gondor, walked among the throngs of people, smiling and shaking hands. His beloved Arwen was of course, by his side. Their wedding had been a spectacular event, one that would have everyone talking for many weeks to come. There had been a rush to prepare for the wedding and it had occurred not a day after the soldiers came home victorious.

He and Arwen made their way to the side of the large dining hall where his closest friends and comrades were gathered. Merry and Pippin were already standing on the table, mugs in hand and singing as loud as they could. Sam and Frodo were nearby, clapping and laughing with the music. It cheered Aragorn's heart to see the four hobbits in such high spirits after everything they had gone through. Yet there were shadows in Frodo's eyes and the ranger turned king doubted they would ever leave him.

Gandalf too, was clapping to the hobbits' singing, a cheerful smile gracing his elderly face. Legolas and Gimli were engaged in deep conversation. He had overheard that the two of them planned to visit caves in the White Mountains soon. Legolas had agreed to let Gimli show him places that the dwarf promised to be finer than Moria. As an elf, Legolas did not like caves but he would acquiesce to his friend's request.

At the table next to the one occupied by the dancing hobbits Eowyn and Faramir were engaged in a deep conversation. He saw Faramir reach over and grasp one of Eowyn's hands, causing the shieldmaiden to blush and smile. Aragorn was truly happy for them. He chuckled when he spied Eomer not too far away, playing the protective big brother

Elladen and Elrohir occupied the seats across from the couple and were currently engaged in yet another argument. About what, Aragorn had no clue of. He had no doubt he would hear of it later though. Elrond was, of course, shaking his head at the spectacle and had a weary look of resignation in his eyes. Aragorn chuckled in sympathy for his foster father. Elrond gave his sons a final look of exasperation before turning to talk to Galadriel, who stood not too far from the scene with her husband, Celeborn.

Arwen excused herself from her husband's side and joined in the conversation with the three elves. Aragorn gave her another smile before turning to break up the argument between Elrond and Elrohir, which had grown in intensity. They immediately silenced as Aragorn approached and turned their backs to one another. They refused to enlighten the baffled king on the subject of their argument. Pleading, the man looked to Gandalf but the wizard merely shook his head, an odd twinkle in his eyes. Aragorn scowled and glared at his brothers. The hobbits watched with amusement at the spectacle, laughing at Aragorn's clueless, sour expression.

Inwardly Aragorn sighed. It was not even midday and yet he was already the bane of someone's joke. This did not bode well for him. He glared once more at his companions before grapping a mug of ale for himself. Well, if he was going to be laughed at then there was no harm in being too doused to notice. True, it wasn't kingly behavior but right now he couldn't care. His Steward wasn't a drinker and could handle things…if someone could get him away from his beloved. Aragorn snorted. How likely was that to happen?

Before he could take his first sip, a soldier approached, bowing. He looked winded as if he had run the whole way to him. Aragorn placed the mug back down and motioned for the soldier to rise. "What is it?" He asked.

"Sir, my scouting party was making a sweep of the Pelannor Fields. It was a security detail, mind you sire. One our sweep we encountered a riderless horse. It looked to be of Rohan stock, my lord."

By now there was a small group behind Aragorn, listening to the soldier's words. Eowyn frowned at the mention of one of her land's warhorses. "But the fields are still scarred from battle. Perhaps it belonged to a fallen soldier?" She suggested.

The soldier shook his head. "We thought so my lady but we wanted to be sure. So we followed the path the horse had taken and we came upon a man."

Aragorn's brow furrowed. "Was he alive?"

The soldier nodded. "Yes, milord. He was still breathing. I'd say he was of Rohan and surely had the look of a warrior, had a sword even, but I could tell that he had not been in the battle in the fields."

Aragorn frowned. "Where is he now?"

"In the House of Healing, sire. He was unconscious when we found him. Had a head wound, probably thrown from his horse. He looked like he had been heading in the city's direction, sire."

Aragorn nodded. "Dismissed. I will handle the stranger." The soldier saluted and left the hall. Aragorn sighed and turned to his audience.

Legolas was frowning in concern. "What are you thinking, Aragorn?"

Aragorn shook his head. "I'm not sure. I do think something is amiss here, but I cannot say what."

Gandalf stepped forward. "Do you wish to confront this man?"

"Yes, and I prefer to do it now. Gandalf, will you accompany me?"

The wizard nodded. Aragorn addressed the others. "The rest of you stay, have fun. I will deal with this. You stay too, Faramir." He held up a hand to silence the Steward. "I can deal with one man. You stay with your betrothed. I will have Gandalf with me."

He gave Arwen a kiss on the cheek and whispered something in her ear. Then he departed from the hall, Gandalf beside him. The man wasn't entirely sure why he felt Gandalf had to be there. It was a knowing feeling deep in his gut that the wizard needed to be present. Gandalf gave him a knowing look but kept blessedly silent.

They entered the House of Healing and asked one of the attendants where the strange man was. They walked down the hall toward his room. They entered the room and immediately spotted the man, the only one in the entire room. As he approached the still unconscious man, he could see why the soldier had thought the man would be from Rohan. The man on the bed was of strong build, slim but athletic. Aragorn could see many scars of battle on the man's body. He was still fully dressed, wearing black leather pants with patched at the knee, an open purple patchwork vest, sturdy boots and leather gauntlets around his forearms. Around his neck he sported a dark green medallion, which was formed into an odd shape, like a snake twisted about itself. He had thick, golden curls that would normally mark him as one of Rohan.

But something about this man all but screamed at Aragorn that he did not belong. He couldn't tell what it was, but there was a sense of _wrongness_, if that was the right word for it. He couldn't place it but there was something off about the man.

Gandalf strode forward beside the unconscious man and paced a hand on his forehead. He was frowning, his expression deeply troubled. He straightened and eyes the man critically for several moments.

"What is it, Mithrandir? What do you sense?" Aragorn asked.

Gandalf's eyes never left the man, suspicion and something akin to sympathy in his eyes. "I am not sure. This man is not as he should be."

Aragorn blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

The wizard sighed. "I do not know, but there is something wrong with this man. It is as if he is tainted somehow, yet that is not the right word. There is something not right with him, something within yet it does not consume him."

"That is good, yes?" Aragorn asked slowly. The wizard's words were making no sense to him. Wizards always spoke in riddles. Aragorn hated riddles.

"Yes, that I can say for certain but I do not know why."

Anything else Gandalf would have said was cut off as the man beneath him stirred. Gandalf backed away a step, not out of fear but out of respect for the man. He did not wish to intimidate someone who had been wounded and knocked unconscious. Aragorn stepped a little closer, ready to confront the man if necessary.

Iolaus groaned. _Why did Typhon decide to beat me with a hydra?_ He thought. He felt awful. He was nauseas and he felt as though his head would feel better when someone chopped it off. His body ached all over and he had no idea why. He remembered the force that had thrown him from his horse and Hercules from the sky, and that it had come from Mordor, but after…

As he regained consciousness he realized that he was not on the ground, but in a soft bed. He opened his eyes wearily, blinking a few times to clear his vision. Quickly he did a mental check of his wounds. He ached, but he could sit up. His head was pounding but he had had worse. With a groan he slowly pushed himself into a seating position. He blinked a few more times then raised his head to appraise his situation.

He was indeed lying in a bed in what looked like a healing room. There were several other beds, all empty. Then he straightened as he finally acknowledged the other people in the room.

There were two of them, but something about them made his hair stand on end, especially the old man. He had white hair and wore all white robes. Just staring at them made Iolaus' eyes hurt. When he stared into the old man's eyes his guard immediately went up. There was a raw power in this man Iolaus had rarely seen. He only saw it in people with great power.

He tore his eyes away to look at the other man, who stood at the foot of his bed. This, he could tell, was a member of royalty. He had been around enough to know. He wore elaborate clothing, possibly for a celebration of some kind. Atop his dark hair was a coronet. He was neatly trimmed and his pose gave off of, 'I'm royalty and you're not. Bow before me, worm,' kind of feel. Iolaus wasn't the least bit intimidated by it. But by the look in his eyes he could see that this man was a warrior and had seen things that could probably rival Iolaus' own experiences. Neither of these men were ones to be trifled with.

No one spoke. Iolaus squirmed under their scrutiny. He gave a smile and a tiny wave. "Uh, hi?"

Aragorn blinked. Out of all the things he expected the man to say that was not one of them. A quick look at Gandalf said that the wizard thought the same thing. Aragorn cleared his throat and replied in a steady, cordial manner. "Greetings to you stranger. It is good to see that you are well."

The man gave an awkward smile. "Uh, thanks. Err, can you tell me where I am, exactly? I remember passing out somewhere, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't here." He scratched his blonde curls. "At least I think so. I'm almost positive I passed out in a field, not a castle. Of course I'd probably remember the castle so I guess I did pass out on the field. But then how would I get here? Did someone bring me here? And where am I anyway?"

Aragorn resisted the urge to chuckle at the man's babbling. It was a little strange, though. The man obviously knew he was royalty, if not the king. He could see it in the man's eyes. Yet even though he remained respectful, he acted as though he genuinely wasn't impressed by it. His babbling seemed natural to him and not born out of nervousness. Gandalf had a small smile, a twinkle of something in his eyes.

Aragorn gave the man a small smile. "You are in the Houses of Healing, within the walls of Minas Tirith. You were brought here by a small security detail, which had been patrolling the plains."

The man blinked and then looked around in astonishment. "Minas Tirith? You serious?"

A bit confused, Aragorn nodded. The man's smile widened and he threw his arms up with a cheer of joy. Aragorn took a wary step back. Gandalf raised an eyebrow. The man did not look embarrassed or even chagrined by his actions. Still smiling he folded his hands behind his head.

"Well, not exactly the way I had hoped to get here but it's the results that matter." He gave a playful frown. "Oh, don't look at me as if I were here to kill someone. Nope. My intents are purely good guy ones." Then he hopped out of the bed as though he had not taken an injury to the head. "I know this is gonna sound forward and everything, but can you tell me where I can find the wizard Gandalf? Oh, and whoever is in charge around here? I can't remember who is in charge of this place. And I need to see King Théoden too. It's very important."

Aragorn gave a playful smile while Gandalf chuckled. The man looked confused for a moment, then his eyes widened. He groaned and dropped his head into his hand. "Ugh, let me guess…"

Aragorn chuckled. "The man to your right would be Gandalf. And I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn, King of Gondor."

The man groaned again. "Open mouth and insert foot." Now he looked chagrined. "Um, oh dear." He shuffled form foot to foot. "Okay, good. Now, um? I also need to see Théoden."

Aragorn's smile faded a bit. "He is dead. His nephew Eomer is now king of Rohan."

The man bowed his head. "My condolences. If Lord Eomer is in charge then, I need to see him now. Like I said, it's very important."

The man's serious tone and posture gave Aragorn a cold feeling in his gut. Gandalf appraised the man coolly. "And what is so important that you were seeking us?"

The man took a deep breath. "It's a long story. But it concerns the safety of your world."

Gandalf frowned at the man's wording. "'Our world?' You speak as though this isn't your own."

Iolaus sighed. This wasn't how he had wanted to start off. Oh well, it was too late now. He felt Hercules' presence in his mind, felt the panic from Iolaus' absence subside once Iolaus had assured him that he was alright. He sent Herc a quick mental image of where he was, trying hard not to grin as he felt the demigod's astonishment. Iolaus let his friend know that he was going to begin to explain the situation to Gandalf and Aragorn. He told Hercules that he should make an appearance, which it would be more convincing to them. Herc agreed and immediately set off for the city.

"I see there is more to you than meets the eye."

The sudden statement jolted Iolaus from his conversation with Hercules. He turned to Gandalf, eyes wide. He had heard his conversation with Herc?! His jaw dropped at the wizard's smirk. He tried to say something but could only come up with incoherent mutterings. "Well, uh, I, well, you see…"

Gandalf chuckled at Iolaus' discomfort. "I do apologize, young man. It was not my intention to startle you. When do you suppose your friend will be here?"

Aragorn turned a startled frown toward Gandalf and then a glare at Iolaus. "What is going on? Who are you and why are you here if this indeed is not your world?"

Iolaus cringed a bit at the obvious royal inflection on Aragorn's tone. "Oh, sorry. First, off, my name is Iolaus. My friend, who will be here momentarily, is Hercules. He is an important part to the story." He held his hands in a placating manner. "I know a lot of this seems suspicious and a lot of what I'm going to say is going to sound ridiculous but I meant it when I said I'm one of the good guys. My friend and I, we're here to help you."

Aragorn crossed his arms. "Sauron is dead. There is no more threat."

"What!" Iolaus was gob smacked. Then it hit him. The force! That must have been Sauron dieing! How long ago was that? How long had he been unconscious? Has Dahak already made his move? Was he about to? "This is not good." Iolaus said aloud, rubbing his hand over his mouth as a dozen different scenarios and possibilities entered his head all at once. He was close to panicking and only Herc's cam presence was keeping him from doing so. He started pacing back and forth, muttering to himself, and ignoring Aragorn and Gandalf's startled expressions.

Finally he took a deep breath and turned back to his audience. "Okay, this changes things a bit. First off, killing Sauron is good, so great job." He gave them a dazzling smile before becoming serious once more. "But the threat I'm speaking of has nothing to do with Sauron. I'm talking about something much older, much more powerful and evil incarnate."

"And how do you know of this demon?" Aragorn asked, deeply troubled. There were no lies in this man's eyes, he was telling the truth.

"Because it tried to take over my world." Iolaus said with a grimace. "And it failed. My friend and I managed to stop it, but the methods we used won't work this time."

Aragorn frowned. "Why not? If you are sure that this demon is the one who tried to destroy your world, then why won't your own methods work?"

Iolaus shifted a bit. "Because this time he doesn't have the same weaknesses that he had in my world. In my world he had a mortal form, a body he had possessed. He doesn't have it here. So we can't use the same methods. Besides I doubt they would work in this world, since you guys are already weakened due to that Sauron guy."

Whatever Aragorn was going to say next was cut off by a shrill eagle's cry. All three men looked up to see a large eagle flying through one of the windows, making a beeline toward Iolaus. Aragorn backed away, hand going to his sword. Gandalf swiftly caught his hand, shaking his head at the king. Aragorn frowned at the wizard and then looked back. His brow raised in astonishment as the eagle landed gently on the outstretched arm of Iolaus. Iolaus smiled at the bird, stroking its feathers with his other hand. The bird's stormy eyes were shining with happiness and though Iolaus was not speaking, he had the feeling that a private conversation was occurring.

Finally Iolaus turned back to the startled king and the wizard. He gestured toward the bird. "This is Hercules. Herc, this is Gandalf and Aragorn. He's the king of Gondor." The bird threw his a confused look. Iolaus shrugged. "I know, I thought so too. But apparently he's the king now." Then Iolaus had a thoughtful expression on his face. He turned to Aragorn. "Hey, are you that guy, Isildur's heir or some such?"

Aragorn blinked at the question and nodded. "Yes, but how did you know that if you are not from this world?" He raised an eyebrow at the blonde man.

Iolaus smirked. "Taverns, my friend. Rumors are plentiful in them. We've been in this world for about a month, and whenever we visited taverns we picked up as much information as we could. Unfortunately since we didn't know this world none of it made any sense except for that war against Sauron that was going on. But we did hear about the wizard Gandalf," He turned his gaze toward said wizard. "So, we hoped that he would be able to help us. We started toward Edoras when we discovered that we were being hunted."

Iolaus made a motion and the bird, Hercules, hopped from his arm to the table next to him. Gandalf frowned at this strange creature. He had the same feeling of wrongness that he did with Iolaus. It was not exactly the same, but enough for the wizard to know that their affliction was connected. As Gandalf stared at Hercules, he noticed something extraordinary. Flickering in his vision where the bird should be was a man. The man in his vision was tall, a good head taller than Iolaus, with brown hair and shared the bird's stormy blue eyes.

As he continued to gaze upon the vision, the man and the bird began to glow. It was a strong bronze, rich and bright with divinity. As he began to glow, so did Iolaus. Iolaus' glow was a beautiful, splendid gold, brighter than any found in a mine. Then, to his surprise, the two colors began to merge with one another, becoming one and the same, fitting together as though they belonged.

Though he made no change in his expression, Gandalf was awed by the vision. He suspected that the two beings here were connected in other ways than just an affliction. He drew himself from the vision as Iolaus spoke.

"We were staying at an inn, in a village near Edoras. A group of men barged in demanding that the innkeeper hand over two of his customers bearing descriptions that matched ours. They even threatened him." Then Iolaus grinned. "I have to say, you've got to admire those Rohan folk. The man didn't even blink at the group. The entire room drew weapon on them and drove them out!"

Iolaus laughed with the memory and Aragorn found himself chuckling. Indeed, he did know of the strength and brashness of the Rohirrim. It was doubtful that a handful of men would be able to intimidate them. Then Iolaus calmed down.

"But we soon found out that those men were acolytes of the demon we had though we defeated. Since we now knew of his presence in this world, we could sense it. Well, Herc could because of his heritage. But since we're connected I felt it too and believe me, I know what that demon feels like." Iolaus shook himself like a dog shaking off water. "Then it wasn't difficult to figure out that he was the one who cursed us. As for bringing us to the world, we're still not sure about that one."

"Curse?" Gandalf asked. "You are cursed?"

Aragorn turned to the wizard. "Could that be the wrongness you felt in him?"

Gandalf nodded slowly. "I believe so. Tell me, what is this curse exactly?"

Iolaus exchanged a glance with Hercules. Then he turned to Gandalf. "When you look at him," Iolaus asked. "What do you see?"

Even Gandalf was startled by the question. Then it gave way to a wry respect. It would seem that this young man knew more about magic that the wizard initially thought. "I see a man flickering in my vision. I sense that this is not his true form and that the image I see is."

Iolaus grinned and nodded. "Yep, you've got it. Now, come sunset you'll actually be able to see him in his human form. I, however, will turn into a cougar. And come sunrise…"

Aragorn completed the sentence, now understanding where this was heading. "You will be back to what you are now, he an eagle, and you a man."

Iolaus nodded. "Correct. But that's not the only problem. There's another part to the curse, one that seems more like the demon's doing than the animals. Madness."

Aragorn and Gandalf frowned at the man, not quite understanding. Surely this man was not insane? He did not seem the lunatic, standing before them now.

Iolaus crossed his arms. "When we're animals, it's not there. But when we're human, we keep it under tight control. Herc's been coaching me since it isn't much different to how he controls his strength. We have it under control, but it is also easy to lose it under the right circumstances."

Shadows appeared in Iolaus' eyes, giving the blonde a haunted, faraway look. The sudden change startled Aragorn. Iolaus seemed to sag with melancholy, losing some of the vibrant energy he once possessed. It seemed so obscene to Aragorn. Since Iolaus had awoken, the man seemed to vibrate with so much energy he looked as though he would bounce off of the walls at any given moment. His eyes, the color of the sky, held such a joy and passion for life that to see them haunted and forlorn now mad Aragorn's heart clench.

Aragorn hated to ask his next question, but he felt he had to. "How is it that you recognized the men as acolytes of this demon?"

Iolaus didn't speak at first, standing silently and staring at nothing. The eagle beside him crooned and laid a wing on his arm. Iolaus smiled at the support and turned back to Aragorn. "It was initially Herc who recognized them. It was at night, so he was human. He saw them trying to threaten the innkeeper. The leader pulled out a blade covered in dry blood. Hercules recognized the blade," Iolaus took a deep breath before he continued. It was obvious that he was trying to control his emotions. "He recognized it as the one the demon had used to kill me."

If the situation weren't so serious Iolaus would have laughed at their gob smacked expressions. Instead it was all he could do to keep himself controlled and composed. Having Herc's support was a major part in that effort. He allowed a small grin as Aragorn gaped at him. Gandalf had a strange expression, a sort of wonder at seeing something otherworldly almost; it sort of creeped Iolaus out.

"But you are here, before us now. You are no shade or specter of that I am sure." Aragorn finally said, coming out of his shock. "This must mean that you somehow were returned to the living world. How?"

Iolaus grinned at Hercules. "Herc's got friends in high places. After we beat the demon, there were a lot of people and gods petitioning for my life. So Hades, the god of our Underworld, allowed me to come back to life."

Gandalf raised an eyebrow. "You speak as though you have met your gods first hand."

Iolaus shrugged. "I have. Not all of them, though." Iolaus cocked his head as he thought. "I've met at least a dozen of them. But after a while they're not so impressive anymore. Hades, for example, isn't as bad as most people think. Once you get to know him he's really a nice guy."

Aragorn was gaping again. "But how?"

Iolaus' grin widened into a full-blown smile. "Herc's a demigod. His father is Zeus, the King of the Gods. His mother is a mortal woman. Since I'm his best friend and sword brother, I've met quite a few gods in my lifetime. Including Zeus."

"By Valar…" Aragorn whispered. _A world where half gods walked among men and the gods themselves occasionally made themselves known to the mortal populace…what a world it must be_. A quick glance exchanged with Gandalf told Aragorn that the wizard was finding this new discovery to be nothing short of a wonder. "This is proving to be an extraordinary day." He turned to Iolaus. "We thank you for your warning, Master Iolaus. Now that we know of this demon we can better prepare for it. It is good fortune that you came to us when you did and I assure you that we will do all that we can to destroy this foul creature, and help you both with your curse."

Iolaus' jaw dropped. "You believe me?"

Aragorn smiled and nodded. "I see no lie in your eyes, Iolaus. It is a gift I possess, to be able to discern such knowledge. You have spoken true, even if it is about dark tidings."

Iolaus grimaced a bit. "I wanted to get here sooner. But when Sauron died, both Hercules and I felt the backlash of power. It knocked us unconscious out if the fields. We don't know how far the demon has progressed and we are not sure of its plans. But we both thought that you should know as soon as possible."

Aragorn bowed his head in thanks. "The good thing is that you came. You both have our gratitude. You will be guests here in Minas Tirith." Aragorn smirked. "I assume you wish to help us fight it?"

Iolaus smirked right back. "Do you even have to ask?"

Aragorn chuckled and Gandalf smiled. "Come," Aragorn said. "We are feasting in the great halls in celebration of both Sauron's defeat and my wedding. You will join us."

Iolaus smile brightened and he was bouncing on his feet. "Great! Food! I'm starving!"

Aragorn laughed when the eagle shook its head in exasperation. Aragorn turned to leave the Houses of Healing when Gandalf spoke. "This demon, does it have a name we can identify it with?"

Some of Iolaus' smile vanished. "The demon's name is Dahak."

Whether it was hearing the venom in Iolaus' voice as he said it, or the name itself Aragorn did not know. But when it was spoken he felt an icy chill run down his spine. Gandalf seemed to stiffen, but he hid it well. Iolaus shook himself and his smile returned. He walked up and threw a friendly arm around Aragorn's shoulders, much to the king's amusement.

"So, when do we eat?"

Please R&R. No flames! Thanks for reading!


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